The Vanishing Voter Project was based at the Shorenstein Center during the 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Through research, the project tried to understand the factors that affect public involvement and to use this information to propose constructive changes in the election process.

In 2000, the Vanishing Voter Project centered on weekly national surveys designed to assess the public’s election involvement at various stages in the campaign. Those surveys were the basis for reports (see below) as well as for The Vanishing Voter, which was published in 2002.

In 2004, there were signs of renewed voter interest. Turnout was up in the presidential primaries, as was attention to campaign news.

The Vanishing Voter Project was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts

Reports

The Vanishing Voter Project released five reports in 2000.

• “Election 2000: How Viewers ‘See’ a Presidential Debate,” October 3, 2000. PDF
• “Lessons from the Last Convention,” August 13, 2000. PDF
• “The Internet and the 2000 Republican Convention: An Appraisal,” August 13, 2000. PDF
• “Convention Report: Is There a Future for On-the-Air Televised Conventions?” July 30, 2000. PDF
• “Public Involvement and the 2000 Nominating Campaign: Implications for Electoral Reform,” April 27, 2000. PDF

Press Releases

Beginning on March 11, 2004, the Vanishing Voter project released seven press releases. The final one was released on February 2, 2005.

• “Young Voters and the 2004 Election,” February 2, 2005
• “First-Time Voters Propelled to Polls by Personal Contact,” November 11, 2004
• “Iraq Issue Propels Election Interest: Young Adults Affected Most,” September 17, 2004
• “Americans Say National Party Conventions Still Important,” August 5, 2004
• “Election Interest Is Up Sharply, But Convention Interest Is Not,” July 21, 2004
• “Election Interest Up Sharply from 2000: Young Adults Contribute to Rise,” April 30, 2004
• “Election Interest Among Young Adults Is Up Sharply From 2000,” March 11, 2004