U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS INFORMATION CENTER REGISTRATION AND VOTING STATISTICS Washington, D.C. 129 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TABLE Percentage of voting age population voting in 1964 Presidential election indicating states with literacy tests and poll taxes. Estimated Negro voter registration in 11 southern States in 1956 and 1964. 130 INTRODUCTION This compilation of registration and voting statistics is being published by the Information Center of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights pursuant to the Commission's statutory function as a national clearinghouse for civil rights information. The figures reproduced here are those currently available in Commission files from official and unofficial sources. Since most states do not keep registration gures by race, more extensive information is not presently available. In using or comparing these registration figures, the following should be observed: The date of the registration figures must be taken into consideration. Such figures may change markedly between spring primary elections and the fall general election. Current county population figures by race are not available. Accordingly, the county registration percentages given here are based on 1960 Census population figures. In general, the use of the 1960 population base leads to an overstatement of the registration percentege. In most cases the overstatement is relatively small. Census Bureau estimates of total statewide populations are available for o November 1, 1964, and a comparative figure using this estimate is shown or each state. Registration figures themselves vary widely in their accuracy. Even where official figures are available, registrars frequently fail to remove the names of dead or emigrated voters and thus, report-figureaz which exceed the actual registration. Unofficial figures which come from a variety of sources are subject to even greater inaccuracios. |