As Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights Act Changes, No Racial Gap in Voting Problems
By Andrew Kohut In the next several weeks the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the requirement that several states, mostly in the South, get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department before they make any changes to their election laws. The requirement was part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which [...]
Skepticism about a landmark Census finding
The Census Bureau made big news last week when it reported that the black voter turnout rate (66.2%) exceeded the white voter turnout rate (64.1%) for the first time ever in 2012. But a closer look at the numbers raises some intriguing questions. It’s possible that the lines may have first crossed in 2008. But [...]
Skepticism About the Census Voter Turnout Finding
The Census Bureau made big news last week when it reported that the black voter turnout rate (66.2%) exceeded the white voter turnout rate (64.1%) for the first time ever in 2012. But a closer look at the numbers raises some intriguing questions.
Six Take-Aways from the Census Bureau’s Voting Report
By Paul Taylor and Mark Hugo Lopez Today’s report from the Census Bureau on the diversifying American electorate in 2012 confirms an historic turnout milestone first noted last December by the Pew Research Center, but undercuts a number of other widely-reported demographic analyses of last year’s presidential vote. Here are the six most important take-aways [...]
Six take-aways from the Census Bureau’s voting report
Today’s report from the Census Bureau on the diversifying American electorate in 2012 confirms an historic turnout milestone first noted last December by the Pew Research Center, but undercuts a number of other widely-reported demographic analyses of last year’s presidential vote. Here are the six most important take-aways from Census Bureau data: 1. For the [...]
The Media, Religion and the 2012 Campaign for President
A striking feature of the 2012 race for the White House – a contest that pitted the first Mormon nominee from a major party against an incumbent president whose faith had been a source of controversy four years earlier – is how little the subject of religion came up in the media.
White Evangelical Voters Supported Romney
White evangelical Protestants voted as heavily for Republican candidate Mitt Romney as they did for the GOP candidates in 2008 and 2004, and they made up about the same share of the electorate as they did in the two previous elections.
Young Voters Supported Obama Less, But May Have Mattered More
Barack Obama won 60% of the vote among those younger than 30, down from 66% in 2008, but his youth support may have been an even more important factor in his victory this year.
Positive Media Coverage of Obama Surged During Last Week of Campaign
Much of the surge in positive coverage was tied to Obama’s strategic position, including improving opinion polls and electoral math, rather than directly to positive assessments of his response to Superstorm Sandy.
Quiz: Election Report Card
Grade the performance of the candidates and the media in the 2012 presidential election. Then compare your results to the opinions of all voters, Obama voters, and Romney voters.
