Men Tend to Bail on Election Day

The percentage of men who vote has been falling for 40 years, and will likely continue to drop this year, Newsweek reports. Total voter turnout has been dropping since a record high in 1964, but men appear particularly hamstrung by gender-specific factors. More go to prison, fewer attend college, and the male work week has expanded 80% since 1980, apparently leaving little opportunity or interest to pull the lever.

Men also die earlier, leaving the active senior block dominated by women. The upshot could be an intriguing Election Day. Men say they support Sarah Palin (4% higher than women), but if they don’t turn out it could spell major doom for Republicans. The men who do vote are disproportionately attached, and likely to follow their wives to the polls, not vice versa. (More Election 2008 stories.)