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2008: For which candidate for President of the United States did you vote? [see guide for wording in all years]
Asked of: Respondents who reported voting for president (asked post-election and in later years)
2008 presidential vote choice · Asked in 5 waves, 2008–2012 · 148,375 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Harmonized across years by the Cumulative CES Common Content (Kuriwaki); response options are collapsed where years differ. See docs/sources/ces.md. "Undervote" is flagged as a non-answer, not a vote choice: in 2025, a recall of the 2024 vote with no turnout question to screen out non-voters, about 28% of answers are Undervote (under 1% in 2024), so in that year it evidently includes people who did not vote.
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Barack Obama | John McCain | Other | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 56% | 42% | 2% | 44387 | ±0.7 | |
| Less than high school |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2012 | 2012-10-01 to 2012-11-05 | web | 54,535 | 44,387 |
| Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2011 | 2011-11-09 to 2012-01-07 | web | 20,150 | 20,058 |
| Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2010 | 2010-10-01 to 2010-11-01 | web | 55,400 | 48,461 |
| Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2009 | 2009-11-05 to 2009-12-14 | web | 13,800 | 11,487 |
| Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2008 | 2008-10-08 to 2008-11-03 | web | 32,800 | 23,982 |
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| 62% |
| 36% |
| 2% |
| 778 |
| ±5 |
| High school | 53% | 45% | 2% | 10082 | ±1 |
| Some college | 54% | 43% | 3% | 15827 | ±1 |
| Bachelor's | 57% | 40% | 3% | 10987 | ±1 |
| Postgraduate | 63% | 35% | 2% | 6713 | ±2 |
Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2012 · US adults 18+ (YouGov opt-in panels, sample-matched to an ACS frame and weighted). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.