This may be the last presidential election dominated by Boomers and prior generations
Recent presidential elections have been dominated by voters from the Baby Boom and previous generations. That may change this November.
Candidates who don’t win on first convention ballot usually go on to lose
In 11 of the 18 conventions since the Civil War that went more than one ballot, the first-ballot leader ended up losing the nomination to someone else.
Voters have a dim view of primaries as a good way to pick the best candidate
Just 35% of voters say that the primaries have been a good way of determining the best- qualified nominees.
Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning
Nearly three-quarters of Americans now think religion is losing influence in American life, and most who say this also see it as a bad thing. Perhaps as a consequence, a growing share of the public wants religion to play a role in U.S. politics.
Midterm Election Indicators Daunting for Democrats
With the midterm elections six months away, 47% of registered voters support the Republican candidate in their district while 43% favor the Democrat. And more see their vote as a vote against President Obama than for him.
Anti-poll tax amendment is 50 years old today
The value in today’s dollars of the annual poll tax once imposed by several Southern states.
Study: Early voting associated with lower turnout
The country’s most widely adopted reform designed to make voting easier may lower the chances that an individual voter will go to the polls, according to a new study.
King’s “I have a dream” speech, by the numbers
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech 50 years ago today on Washington D.C.’s National Mall and Memorial Parks has become one of the most famous, and quoted, pieces of oratory in U.S. history (though that wasn’t apparent to everyone at the time). But how well have the aspirations King so memorably expressed been realized? We ran […]
Public Divided over Same-Sex Marriage Rulings
Most Americans are aware of the ruling and its implications.
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 […]
