Voting in the 2008 election is the single measure of civic engagement on which North Carolina performs above the national average. It is our state's civic strength: Increases in voter turnout among North Carolinians of all ages, races, and classes illustrate that, when inspired to, our residents can step up and participate in the political process. The question is, will they do it again?

The 2008 Presidential election led to unprecedented voter turnout in North Carolina. For the first time in more than 30 years, North Carolina was considered a “battleground” state, and residents cast their votes in record numbers. There were undoubtedly several factors that lead to the 6 percentage point increase in voter turnout between the 2004 and 2008 elections. Among these factors were contentious elections for president, U.S. Senator and governor, increased opportunities for eligible voters to vote, and presidential candidates who invested substantial resources in the state.

In the past decade, it has become easier for North Carolinians to vote. North Carolina's “one stop early voting” requires all North Carolina counties to open at least one voting location from 19 to three days before Election Day. Early voting and absentee ballots provide residents with more options to cast votes in any election, and residents have seized this opportunity. In 2008, more than half (54.3%) of eligible North Carolinians voted before Election Day, nearly double the national rate of 29.8%. More than 250,000 voters used same–day registration to update or initiate registration. 23

There are signicant differences among the 67.5% of North Carolinians who did report voting in the 2008 election. Residents who have served on active military duty, a large segment of North Carolina's population, were much more likely to vote than their civilian counterparts (79.3% compared with 66%). Our state's wealthiest residents (those living in households with annual incomes at or above $75,000) were substantially more likely to vote than those living in households with incomes below $35,000 (82.4% versus 60.4%).

Mirroring the national trend, North Carolina's youth voter turnout surged in 2008. The state's ranking for youth voter turnout moved from 40th in 2004 to 16th in 2008. Fifty–ve percent of eligible North Carolinians ages 18–29 reported voting in the 2008 election. Although this is a 10 percentage point increase between the 2004 and 2008 elections, it still means that 45% of our state's Millennial generation chose not to engage in the 2008 election.

The rise in voter participation seen in the 2008 election may be unsustainable. Voter turnout in the 2009 municipal elections fell back to the low levels of pre–2008 municipal races. 24 However, the 2008 election did engage thousands of North Carolinians who may not have otherwise participated in the democratic process. It remains to be seen what will happen in future elections, but the low performance of North Carolina on other measures of civic involvement suggests the state will return to the bottom third of states for voter turnout. North Carolina needs to develop a richer culture of civic engagement that nurtures, and is nurtured by, multiple community–building activities and a deeper sense of social responsibility. A review of indicators of social capital and group membership shows the state has a long way to go.