To determine the effect of election-day registration on voter turnout, let's analyze the provided data step by step. We need to compare voter turnout percentages in states with and without election-day registration for both the years 2008 and 2012.
1. Data analysis for states with Election-Day Registration:
- Voter turnout in 2008: [tex]\( 72\% \)[/tex]
- Voter turnout in 2012: [tex]\( 65\% \)[/tex]
Calculate the change in voter turnout in these states:
[tex]\[
72\% - 65\% = 7\%
\][/tex]
So, the voter turnout decreased by [tex]\( 7\% \)[/tex] from 2008 to 2012 in states with election-day registration.
2. Data analysis for states without Election-Day Registration:
- Voter turnout in 2008: [tex]\( 62\% \)[/tex]
- Voter turnout in 2012: [tex]\( 58\% \)[/tex]
Calculate the change in voter turnout in these states:
[tex]\[
62\% - 58\% = 4\%
\][/tex]
So, the voter turnout decreased by [tex]\( 4\% \)[/tex] from 2008 to 2012 in states without election-day registration.
3. Comparative analysis:
- In states with election-day registration, the voter turnout decreased by [tex]\( 7\% \)[/tex].
- In states without election-day registration, the voter turnout decreased by [tex]\( 4\% \)[/tex].
Since the decrease in voter turnout was greater in states with election-day registration, we can derive that election-day registration was likely more widespread or had a larger impact in attracting voters in 2008 compared to 2012.
4. Conclusion:
Given this analysis, we draw the conclusion:
[tex]\[
\text{It was an option in more states in 2008.}
\][/tex]
