COUNTY LIFE
How does U.S. voter turnout compare to the world?
by Niall McCarthy, Nov 3, 2020, statista
Early voting in the U.S. has reached record levels and around 100 million votes have now been cast ahead of election day, according to the U.S. Elections Project, a nonpartisan website run by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald. That’s more than two-thirds the total number of votes cast in 2016 and it now looks highly likely that total voter turnout will be higher than the previous record set four years ago. This year’s historic trend has been driven by the coronavirus pandemic as well as surging voter enthusiasm.
As millions of Amerians prepare to cast their vote today, how does U.S. turnout compare with other countries around the world? While turnout among registered U.S. voters is traditionally high, it trails other nations when turnout is measured as a share of the voting-age population. 139 million people voted in the 2016 election when Donald Trump unexpectedly beat Hillary Clinton and turnout among the voting-age population was just under 56 percent, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
That is far behind Belgium which had a high turnout of 78 percent in its most recent election. However, it must be pointed out that the country has a system of compulsory voting, consistently resulting in high turnout figures. Many countries without such a system also experience high voting volumes with Sweden a notable example with 82 percent in 2018. South Korea also had an impressive turnout of 66.5 percent in its legislative elections earlier this year.
The tap dance countdown is on as many local celebrities will be strutting their stuff on the dance floor on March 25 to help raise scholarship money for Montague County students to attend North Central Texas College.
The Rotary Club of Bowie and the North Central Texas College Montague County Foundation have teamed up to bring back their popular fundraiser, a Dancing to the Stars Competition.
Doors open at the Bowie Community Center, at 6 p.m. with social networking. A catered dinner will be served in the gym.
Tickets are $50 each at the door.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Things are going to get Western during the Sixth Annual Real West Symposium, April 28-30, in Saint Jo.
The Real West Symposium explores what the West was actually like in the 1800s. An authentic 1850s’ cowtown, Saint Jo, is located on the storied Chisholm Trail. With a tree-covered town square and authentic 1800s’ store fronts, it’s the perfect place for Western history to come to life.
This year’s noted speakers include:
•Michael Grauer, director of the Cowboy Hall of Fame
•Dr. Jody Guinn, director of the Texas Rangers Museum/Foundation
•Dr. Richard McCaslin of the University of North Texas
•Dr. Byron Price, retired director of the Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of the American West
•Art T. Burton, historian and authority on Bass Reeves, accompanied by Ernest Marsh, a Bass Reeves re-enactor
•Michael Martin Murphey, recording artist and authority on the music of the old West.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Bowie Community Development coordinated the new St. Paddy’s Day Sip & Stroll with Me event that was hosted last Friday night by 25 participating merchants, who had requested a first-quarter event. The open house stores were spread out across downtown welcomed families and small groups going from store to store. (Above) The team at H&R Block were serving up warm Irish coffee which was welcomed by those walking outside in the chill of early spring.
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