Data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey and its 2008 Uniformed and Overseas Voting Act Survey reveals the nuts and bolts of America's democratic process during the last presidential election. Below are some of the surveys' findings.
190 million Americans were registered to vote in 2008, a 14 million voter increase over the 2004 presidential election.
26 million domestic absentee ballots were transmitted by the states during the election, and 91.1 percent were returned.
60.8 percent of Americans cast their votes in the 2008 presidential election in polling places.
23 states used 218,370 direct recording electronic or touch screen voting machines, the most common type.
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission
