Here are the 26 elections of the last 100 years, in order of turnout:

[Bicoastal]

All percentages given in terms of VAP (Voting Age Population), which does not include the Constitutionally ineligible (women before 1920, Native Americans before 1924, etc.)

#1) 1908--Taft vs. Bryan: 65.4%

#2) 1952--Eisenhower vs. Stevenson: 63.3%

#3) 1960--Kennedy vs. Nixon: 63.06%

#4) 1940--Roosevelt vs. Willkie: 62.5%

#5) 1916--Wilson vs. Hughes: 61.6%

#6) 1936--Roosevelt vs. Landon: 61.0%

#7) 1964--Johnson vs. Goldwater: 60.92%

#8) 1968--Nixon vs. Humphrey: 60.83%

#9) 1956--Eisenhower vs. Stevenson: 60.06%

#10) 1912--Wilson vs. Taft & T. Roosevelt: 58.8%

#11) 2008--Obama vs. McCain: 58.5%

#12) 1928--Hooover vs. Smith: 56.9%

#13) 1932--Roosevelt vs. Hoover: 56.9%

#14) 2004--Bush vs. Kerry: 56.7%

#15) 1944--Roosevelt vs. Dewey: 55.9%

#16) 1972--Nixon vs. McGovern: 55.21%

#17) 1992--Clinton vs. Bush: 55.09%

#18) 1976--Carter vs. Ford: 53.55%

#19) 1984--Reagan vs. Mondale: 53.11%

#20) 1948--Truman vs. Dewey: 53.0%

#21) 1980--Reagan vs. Carter: 52.56%

#22) 2000--Bush vs. Gore: 51.31%

#23) 1988--Bush vs. Dukakis: 50.11%

#24) 1920--Harding vs. Cox: 49.2%

#25) 1996--Clinton vs. Dole: 49.08%

#26) 1924--Coolidge vs. Davis: 48.9%

[bluestateguy]

1. Voting Age Population has proven to be an inaccurate measurement of turnout

Michael McDonald at George Mason has shown this.

In short, we put a lot of people in jail and we have a lot of non-citizens residing here now. That screws up the numbers.

[mwei924]

2. % of eligible voters would be a better measure.

Voting-age population includes non-citizens, felons, and other people who can't vote.