The Turnout Story Of 2008

The doubters were right: according to the Current Population Survery, overall turnout levels stayed roughly the same, relative to population increases, but the composition of the American electorate changed enough to give the appearance of a Democratic landslide, and that, as GWU's Michael McDonald puts it, " disparities in turnout rates among various demographic categories decreased between 2004 and 2008."  As Mark Blumenthal points out, turnout among black voters increased by nearly 5% -- bringing them to within a percentage point -- relative to size -- of white turnout. Young voter turnout increased by 2.1%.  The CPS data is raw and is subject to measurement error and other biases, but it's probably the best data we have, right now, about aggregate 2008 turnout.