Voter Registration and Participation

Description of the Indicator
This indicator provides information on the number of registered voters and how many participated in various elections.

Why is it important?
This indicator is important because it provides information on how county residents react to the government and its decision-making policies. If a county has a low voter turnout, it often indicates a sense of no representation or that the population has no opinion about its representatives.
Conversely, if a county reflects a high voter turnout, it indicates a sense of involvement and representation. It also indicates that the residents trust and believe in their candidates.

What does it mean or how is the region performing?
Voter registration fluctuates each election year. Increases, like voting participation, increase in presidential election years. This is a typical pattern across the country. While the patterns are consistent, it does not bode well for the process. The non-presidential election years consist of more local and state official elections which have a direct bearing on the everyday lives of systems, more so, than the Presidential election. This is a local indicator that needs to improve.