Ohio Votes: Civic Engagement in the Buckeye State, 2002-2006

This report examines Ohio's population and rates of electoral participation between 2002 and 2006, and compares them to the United States as a whole. The report's major focal points include rates of eligibility, registration and voter turnout by race or ethnicity, age and income. The largest survey of voting behavior is the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS and Population Estimates Program are the primary sources of data for this report, which presents frequency tables generated from responses to the November 2006 CPS. Some cross-tabulations are provided to show how those responses interact with race, income and age. This report is organized in three major sections: population, registration and voting. In the first section, we describe the size and demographic composition of Ohio's overall population and voting-eligible population. Next, we examine the racial (and ethnic), age and income characteristics of the state's registered population. We conclude by describing some of the disparities in the composition of the registered and voting populations. The data show that Ohioans who are White, those who are older and those who are more affluent are more likely to register to vote and turn out at the polls.