What have Midwestern states done to expand or improve voter education and outreach programs?
Since the controversial presidential election of 2000, voter education programs have become a part of overall state strategies to reform their election systems. For example, general provisions to boost awareness of the elections process and voting equipment have been included in many of the state laws passed to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. Beyond the recent election reform movement, though, some policymakers have sought to improve voter education as a way of boosting turnout at the polls particularly among young people. According to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, the turnout rate of 18- to 24-year-olds fell from 55 percent in 1972 to 42 percent in 2000. States have tried to reverse this trend by implementing numerous outreach programs for young people. Last year, the National Association of Secretaries of State published a state-by-state “best practices survey” detailing these efforts, which include civic education progra
