THE REAPPEARING AMERICAN VOTER - WHY DID TURNOUT RISE IN 92

Various possible explanations for the turnout increase of nearly 6 per centage points in the 1992 US presidential election as compared to the 1988 election are examined: using both survey and state-level data. T he turnout impact of Perot's candidacy, surprisingly, is found to be n egligible. Neither is support found for views frequently expressed in the media that the economic recession and MTV's 'Rock the Vote' regist ration campaign aimed at young people played substantial roles in stim ulating additional voter participation. Only a small fraction of the t urnout rise can be attributed to the spread and maturation of 'motor v oter' registration programs at the state level between the 1988 and 19 92 elections. The mystery is 'resolved' in part by evidence that, from the perspective of recent history, the low turnout of 1988 is at leas t as great an anomaly as the high turnout of 1992. Unfortunately, ther e are few clues as to what factors peculiar to the 1988 elections led turnout to be so low in that year. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.