Turnout Ups, Downs. (News Feed).(voter turnout in 2000 election)(Brief Article)

According to a study released last month by the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, voter turnout was up for the 2000 election, with a turnout of 51.2 percent of the eligible electorate compared to 49 percent in 1996.

The committee, a Washington-based, nonpartisan research group with a primary focus on issues surrounding citizen engagement in politics, said that last year's increased turnout does not mean that future turnout will rise. The study emphasized the 50 percent of those eligible who did not vote, regardless of the high-stakes battle and record spending in races across the country. The committee also noted that registering to vote last year …