The most powerful way for individuals to inuence government is by voting—choosing leaders to govern and manage public life and, increasingly at the state level, making policy decisions on ballot initiatives. Voter registration and voter turnout are the measures by which we determine the extent to which citizens are fully using their ability to inuence government. On each of these measures, Arizona ranks in the bottom fourth of the nation.

VOTING
VOTER REGISTRATION: Arizona ranks 40th among all states in voter registration based on the 2008 presidential election, which is a 2% decline from the state's registration rate in 2004. In 2008, 68.9% of Arizona's eligible voters registered, compared with a national voter
registration rate of 71%.

VOTER TURNOUT: Arizona ranks 43rd in the nation for voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election, a four percentage point decline from the 2004 election when Arizona ranks 39th. The turnout among registered voters was 86.9%, compared with 89.6% for the U.S. as a whole. Although voter turnout among 18– to 29–year olds is increasing nationally, that's not true in Arizona. Voter turnout among younger Arizonans in 2008 was 47%, compared to 51% nationally.

Minnesota continues to lead the nation with a 75% voter turnout. States that made signicant improvement, moving from below the national average in 2004 to above the average in 2008, include Mississippi (8th), North Carolina (15th) and Connecticut (20th).

Results of the Arizona Civic Health Index make it clear the state is challenged in two ways. Arizona needs to increase voter registration and we need to close the gap between registration and voter turnout. In general, states with higher registration rates tend to have higher turnout with a few notable exceptions. North Dakota, for example, has the nation's highest voter registration rate in 2008 at 83.7%—but the state ranks 17th for voter turnout, marking a 16 percentage point gap between registration and actual turnout. On the other
hand, Colorado ranks 27th in the nation for voter registration at 72.2%, but ranks 10th overall for voter turnout, marking a gap of about four percentage points.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Increase voter registration and close the gap between voter registration and voter turnout.
• 48% of Arizonans with a high school education voted in 2008, 12 percentage points below the percentage who registered (60%) for a turnout of 80%.
• 47% of younger citizens (18– to 29–year olds) voted in 2008, 16 percentage points below the percentage who registered (59.9%) for a turnout of 78.5%.
• 45% of those with incomes less than $35,000 voted in 2008, an estimated 12 percentage points below the percentage who registered (56.2%) for a turnout of 79.9%.
• 57% of those living with children under the age of 18 in the home voted in 2008, 13 percentage points below the percentage who registered (70.4%) for a turnout of 81.4%.
• 36.6% of Latinos voted in 2008, 15 percentage points below the percentage registered (51.5%). Latinos make up 30% of the state's population in the 2010 census. If Latino voters participated at the same rate as other ethnicities, Arizona's voter turnout would be approximately 65.5%, placing it slightly above the national average of 63.6%.
• College graduates, Baby Boomers, citizens age 65+, high–income Arizonans, and those who have served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces have the highest voter registration and voter turnout rates.

2. Increase the educational level of Arizona voters.
• On most measures, education beyond high school is one of the key predictors of voter turnout. Slightly more than 80% of all Arizona citizens with a college degree voted in 2008,
11 percentage points higher than estimates for citizens with some college experience and 32 percentage points higher than estimates for citizens with a high school diploma.
• Currently, 25.3% of the state's population over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree, compared with the national average of 27%. Encouraging citizens to complete degrees should signicantly increase Arizona's voter turnout.

3. Increase the voting rate for all citizens, especially men.
• Women vote at a higher rate than men. Slightly more than 62% of Arizona women voted in 2008, almost ve percentage points higher than estimates for men. If men voted at the same rate as women, Arizona could recapture the ground lost between 2004 and 2008.

4. Increase voting rates for citizens from all parts of Arizona, especially non–metropolitan areas.
• Urban Arizonans vote at a higher rate than citizens in other areas. A total of 61.7% of metropolitan residents voted in 2008, compared with 47.3% of citizens living outside the urban corridor. This is the opposite of national trends—59.8% of rural Americans vote, compared with 53.2% of urban citizens.
• Within Arizona's urban corridor, Tucson reported the highest rate (64.5%), above the national average of 63.6%. The voting participation rate for the Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale MSA is 60.4%, below the rate for urban citizens as a whole. Specic results are not available for other metropolitan areas, smaller cities or individual rural communities.

EXPRESSING POLITICAL VOICE IN OTHER WAYS
ENGAGING IN NON–ELECTORAL POLITICAL ACTIVITIES: Beyond voting, Arizonans have many opportunities to inuence government. The Census CPS asks whether people have participated in one or more political acts during the year––contacted or visited with a public official; attended a public meeting about political issues; bought or boycotted a product for political reasons, took part in a political march, rally, or demonstration; gave time or money to a candidate or party. State rankings show that civic behavior varies signicantly across the country with citizen participation ranging from 16.6% to more than 45%. Arizona ranks 36th in the nation, slightly behind the national average.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Increase participation among all Arizonans.
• Latinos are less likely to participate in political activism than other ethnicities.
• Arizonans with a high school education are less likely to participate in political activism than those with a college degree or some college experience.
• Younger Arizonans (18– to 45–year olds) are less likely to participate in political activism than Baby Boomers (25%) or those age 65+ (35%).
2. Identify other effective ways for Arizonans to express political voice.
• Arizonans are almost as likely as the national average to buy or boycott a product for political reasons. This suggests that if people feel strongly enough about an issue, they are willing to act.

POLITICAL DISCUSSION: Democratic processes require informed people who understand the issues, recognize opportunities for progress and respect other people's views and interests. The Arizona Civic Health Index identies the frequency of political discussion as
an indicator of citizen engagement.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Encourage young people to become more politically active.
• Y ounger Arizonans are interested in politics—they're just not as likely to vote. Although younger Arizonans (18– to 29–year olds) nationally are the least likely to follow the news and discuss politics, the reverse is true in Arizona. An estimated 40.9% of the state's younger
residents report having political discussions several times a week or more, slightly higher than the state's average, and the second highest rate of any age group. Arizona needs to nd ways to translate the political interests of younger citizens into higher voter registration and
voter turnout as well as their participation in all forms of political expression.

2. Improve employment opportunities in Arizona.
• Employment is a key factor in citizen participation. An estimated 44% of employed Arizonans (full–time and part–time) have frequent political discussions. The results of the Arizona Civic Health Index suggest that as many as 62.1% of Arizonans with full time employment voted in the 2008 election, 12 percentage points higher than estimates for the state's unemployed citizens. Job creation is essential not only for the Arizona economy, but for our civic health as well.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Encourage all Arizonans to be well–informed and knowledgeable about the issues.
• Only 29.4% of Americans access the news frequently and broadly, and discuss politics with family and friends. A staggering 30.4% of Americans do neither and in Arizona, more than 37% say they do not follow the news regularly.

STAYING INFORMED AND USING TECHNOLOGY
UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES: The Arizona Civic Health Index measures news consumption and the frequency of political discussion because these two activities encourage voting and other kinds of political activity, such as participating in public meetings or visiting with elected ofcials.

Although national rankings are not available on this measure, Arizonans have the lowest rating for news consumption across all media among the 13 states participating in the 2010 Civic Health Index state–level reports. In the Gallup Arizona Poll, the skill citizens chose as most important to leadership in the 21st century was an “understanding of complex issues.” The Arizona Civic Health Index suggests that a healthy democracy requires the same of citizens.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Encourage all Arizonans to be well–informed and knowledgeable about the issues.
• Those without college educations are less likely to follow the news and discuss politics with family and friends; only 15.9% of Arizonans in that category say they do both, half the rate of college–educated Arizonans.
2. Return civic learning to Arizona classrooms.
• According to a 2009 study by the Arizona Civics Coalition, classroom time devoted to civics is limited in Arizona, and we have no statewide
assessment of how well students understand government and the political process.
• Civic education in Arizona is not one of the topics specically measured in student achievement testing.