While just two dozen general state and local elections will take place on this year’s Election Day, Nov. 8, over the next year ballot-box prognosticators will become feverish in anticipation of the 2012 races. As in every major election year, voter turnout will be critical.
Where are residents the most engaged? To find out, The Daily Beast combed the U.S. Census Bureau statistics on last year’s elections. We then ranked states based on the percentage of citizens who were registered to vote, and the percentage who actually voted. We also considered the average amount of individual donation ($200+) per citizen for the 2010 election cycle, according to the contribution tally maintained by OpenSecrets.org, and each state’s citizen population.
For this list, exercising the right to vote was deemed the most potent form of engagement. Thus, the average percentage of voter turnout was weighted twice as much as the average percentage of voter registration, and four times as much as individual donations.
Total adult citizen population: 7,176,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 71.4%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 47.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $34,384,136
Average donation per adult citizen: $4.79
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 2,087,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 73.4%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 47.1%
Individual donations, 2010: $8,184,472
Average donation per adult citizen: $3.92
Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 2,463,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 66.6%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 49.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $38,815,686
Average donation per adult citizen: $15.76
Stephan Savoia / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 478,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 66.4%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 50.7%
Individual donations, 2010: $3,743,242
Average donation per adult citizen: $7.83
Rob Stapleton / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 634,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 65.9%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 51.0%
Individual donations, 2010: $6,060,337
Average donation per adult citizen: $9.56
Rob Carr / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 744,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 66.0%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 51.9%
Individual donations, 2010: $2,991,199
Average donation per adult citizen: $4.02
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 3,339,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 69.0%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 50.9%
Individual donations, 2010: $12,723,644
Average donation per adult citizen: $3.81
Mary Ann Chastain / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 3,473,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 66.2%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 52.6%
Individual donations, 2010: $30,602,926
Average donation per adult citizen: $8.81
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 4,695,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 68.8%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 52.2%
Individual donations, 2010: $55,198,331
Average donation per adult citizen: $11.76
Bizuayehu Tesfaye / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 2,185,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 70.8%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 52.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $10,563,248
Average donation per adult citizen: $4.83
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 3,236,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 74.9%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 50.0%
Individual donations, 2010: $22,722,758
Average donation per adult citizen: $7.02
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 441,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 66.9%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 45.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $40,968,647
Average donation per adult citizen: $92.90
Jose Luis Magana / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 4,156,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 70.0%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 54.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $19,148,012
Average donation per adult citizen: $4.61
Dinesh Ramde / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 587,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 69.1%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 54.9%
Individual donations, 2010: $5,141,469
Average donation per adult citizen: $8.76
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 3,830,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 72.0%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 54.9%
Individual donations, 2010: $23,993,679
Average donation per adult citizen: $6.26
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 2,830,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 70.8%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 56.3%
Individual donations, 2010: $12,405,774
Average donation per adult citizen: $4.38
Rick Bowmer / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 481,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 74.0%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 55.0%
Individual donations, 2010: $3,394,666
Average donation per adult citizen: $7.06
Toby Talbot / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 477,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 75.6%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 55.7%
Individual donations, 2010: $4,935,486
Average donation per adult citizen: $10.35
Dale Wetzel / AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 4,637,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 72.6%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 58.1%
Individual donations, 2010: $34,148,170
Average donation per adult citizen: $7.36
AP Photo
Total adult citizen population: 1,017,000
Percentage of adult citizens registered: 76.6%
Percentage of adult citizens who voted: 59.4%
Individual donations, 2010: $3,877,696
Average donation per adult citizen: $3.81
Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photo
