The New Voters

7:25 pm EST November 23rd, 2009 | Politics | 14 Comments

Marc Ambinder notes some new number crunching from the 2008 election.

No wonder Republicans worry about a Democratic demographic storm. Young voter turnout has increased at a rate of about 30% per general election since 2000. Indeed, the rate of increase was higher from 2000 to 2004 than from 2004 to 2008. Women turned out at a higher rate than men. Black men under 30 saw their participation rates increase by eight percentage points, Latino women and women under thirty grew by 6% and Asian women saw their participation rates grow by 13 points. Young black women voted at the highest rate among voters under 30 — and the only turnout rate that exceed the voting rates by white people of any age. White women under 30 voted at a rate of 52% — higher than all but black women under 30.

As Ambinder notes – and as we saw in this year’s elections – when those voters stay home, either via the off-year slide or via candidates who actively turn off these voters (Creigh Deeds, I’m looking at you) – it bodes well for Republicans. This continues the trend of things being good for the Republicans when less people turn out to vote, which explains their never ending strategy of trying to suppress the vote. Particularly in minority communities.

Every time a minority votes, a Republican sheds a tear.

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14 Responses to “The New Voters”

  1. Kyle E. Moore says:
    November 23, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    THANK YOU! I’m sorry, the one thing that has been under reported about the Va Gubernatorial race is that Deeds was an absolutely TERRIBLE candidate. I mean, he was bad when McDonnell beat him in 2005, and he didn’t get better in the four years since.

    Seriously, Deeds = crap candidate.

  2. Pryme says:
    November 23, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    Isn’t there some video of a conservative insider pretty much saying that when people don’t vote, Republicans win?

  3. daniel rotter says:
    November 23, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    Are you referring to the Paul Weyrich speech in 1980, Pryme? I think it’s on Youtube.

  4. Repack Rider says:
    November 23, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    Good news for McClain.

  5. Repack Rider says:
    November 23, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    McCain. Duh

  6. Zython says:
    November 23, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Don’t forget that less than 10% of young voters identify themselves as Republicans.

  7. Cargo says:
    November 23, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    The Republican base, as we see from the tea parties, is composed primarily of middle-aged and older, curmudgeonly white males who are steadily dwindling, shaking their fist at a world that no longer gives a crap about what they have to say, and oooh it makes them so angry! Angry!

  8. SpiderJ says:
    November 24, 2009 at 12:16 am

    Now now, don’t forget Nate, the Black Guy.

  9. SaveFarris says:
    November 24, 2009 at 8:47 am

    It’s not good news for McClain. Christmas is coming up, and we know how he celebrates the holidays.

  10. Pryme says:
    November 24, 2009 at 9:50 am

    Yeah; that’s the guy. Thanks, Daniel.

  11. GLV says:
    November 24, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Farris, that was legitimately funny! Good job!

  12. Frank DiSalle says:
    November 24, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    Cargo can see the “I am a curmudgeon” t-shirts they wear, that we can’t and thinks that because he “doesn’t give a crap about what they think”, no one else does. In actual fact, Cargo, no one gives a crap about what dribbles from your prejudiced, bigoted lips and passes for thought.
    We’re really sorry that even though we tried to impart to you some wisdom, you voted for a charlatan.

  13. Zython says:
    November 24, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    We’re really sorry that even though we tried to impart to you some wisdom, you voted for a charlatan.

    And you voted for a rapist defender. Unlike you, of course, I didn’t simply link to a T-shirt to make my point.

  14. Cargo says:
    November 24, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    Maybe you should try winning some elections.