Political Engagement–Washington is #12 — Dave’s Diary

The 2014 General Election is a week away and NewsTalk KIT will continue to bring you information and interviews on local candidates right up until November 4^th.  The Yakima County Auditor expects about a 62% turnout—matching the statewide expectation for the mid-term-- but Yakima’s primary election turnout at around 31% was the lowest in the state.On the National scene, with only 14.8 percent of eligible voters casting ballots at the first 25 of this year’s state primaries and downward voting trends plaguing the past 50 years, WalletHub -the leading personal finance social network - conducted an in-depth analysis of 2014’s Most and Least Politically Engaged States.

WalletHub analyzed each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia across six key metrics ranging from the percentage of registered voters in the 2012 presidential election to the total political contributions per adult population.

Washington State made the top 15 at number 12.  Oregon landed at 10 and eastern neighbor Idaho made the middle of the pack at 25.

Key Stats

• The percentage of citizens who actually voted in the 2012 presidential election is two times higher in the District of Columbia than in West Virginia.
• The percentage of citizens who actually voted in the 2010 midterm elections is two times higher in Maine than in Texas.
• There is a 0.4 correlation between the overall ranking of the states for political engagement and the level of education in each state (measured as the percentage of the population with at least a bachelor’s degree).
• Blue states are more politically engaged, with an average ranking of 21.30, compared with 31.13 for red states (1 = Best).

http://wallethub.com/edu/most-least-politically-engaged-states/7782/