
Rocking The Vote In
2008
The story arc of Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace covers five years and three electi
ons. Set in Minnesota, home to the nati
on’s highest voter turn-out, the Piers
on family understands that voting is not a right but a privilege, and
one they exercise regularly. With
2008 a presidential electi
on year, readers of the novel might view Minnesota as an example for the rest of the country to follow.
Nati
onally between 1960 and
2004, voter participati
on in presidential electi
on years declined from 63.1% in 1960 to 55.3% in
2004. There were encouraging blips, as percentages rose between
2000 and
2004, from 51.3% to 55.3%. Still, that pales in comparis
on to Minnesota where a whooping 76.8% of the populati
on voted in
2004, leading the country in voter participati
on.