More than half of US voters failed to use democratic prerogative

MORE than half of all Americans eligible to vote in Tuesday's election did not, making it one of the most spurned elections in…

MORE than half of all Americans eligible to vote in Tuesday's election did not, making it one of the most spurned elections in US history, according to initial returns.

Only 49 per cent of the 190 million eligible voters exercised their democratic prerogative, according to CNN.

That would be the lowest turnout since 1924, when 48.9 per cent of voters turned out to elect the Republican candidate, Calvin Coolidge.

But according to the non partisan Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, a group that monitors voter participation, turnout could be as low as 48.5 per cent.

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"This tells us that we have a democracy in crisis in America," said Mr Curtis Gans, director of the committee. "We have progressively destroyed the impulse for civic engagement."

The low participation confirmed surveys indicating that Americans showed little interest in the campaign partly because they considered President Clinton's victory to be assured.

Mr Clinton garnered half the popular vote compared to Mr Dole, who received 41 per cent.

"Throughout the election season, we've seen a lot less interest in the campaign, in the debates and perhaps less enthusiasm about the candidates," said Ms Claudia Deane, an analyst with the Pew Research Centre.

Compared to most countries, the main US parties' ideological differences are slim. And rather than hype or broaden them for electoral effect, Mr Clinton did the opposite.

He spent most of his first term moving toward many traditionally Republican stands, putting down roots in the political centre which experts say holds the most votes

Official figures on voter turnout will not be known until later in the week when election offices at the state level report on the final tally.

But initial data from groups monitoring turnout showed a drop of at least 10 per cent in voter participation in 13 states from the 1992 presidential vote.

Voters in Georgia and South Carolina registered the lowest turnout at 41 per cent, according to the Voter News Service, a monitoring service set up by major US television networks and the Associated Press news agency.

The strongest showing at the polls was in Minnesota, with 67 per cent of voters casting ballots, followed closely by Montana where 65 per cent voted.

In Nebraska, there were 16 percent fewer voters at the poll than in 1992. Sixty three per cent cast ballots in that election.

Hawaii, however, did not follow the trend as 47 per cent of voters there turned out compared to 43 per cent in 1992.

The US traditionally has one of the weakest voting rates of the industrialised countries. Since 1940, it has averaged about 55 per cent.

From a high of 61.8 per cent in 1964, voter participation has declined steadily.

This year's turnout marked a decline from the 1992 presidential elections, when 55.9 per cent of those eligible to vote went to the polls.

The turnout was particularly disappointing for civic groups who had predicted that a new registration law would make it easier for young Americans to vote.

The law signed by Mr Clinton in January 1995 allowed eligible voters to register by mail and at government offices.

It was hailed as a success when 11.5 million voters were added to the registration list for the election.

Although there are 190 million eligible US voters, there are only 148.7 million registered voters. Turnout is calculated on the basis of eligible voters.