Oklahoma voter turnout by gender & race
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its breakdown on who voted in 2008. Despite all the hype about massive voter turnout, the numbers overall don’t distinguish 2008 from prior presidential election years.
But the census estimates do point to upticks among the young, blacks and Hispanics.
“The 2008 presidential election saw a significant increase in voter turnout among young people, blacks and Hispanics,” said Thom File, a voting analyst with the Census Bureau’s Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. “But as turnout among some other demographic groups either decreased or remained unchanged, the overall 2008 voter turnout rate was not statistically different from 2004.”
I took a closer look at the Oklahoma numbers and came up with the following chart for the last three presidential election years. As you can see, compared to 2004, every category except black and Hispanic was down in Oklahoma.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Note: The census didn’t break out several other race categories, such as Native American and Asian & Pacific Islanders, at the state level. Also, Hispanics can be of any race, according to the census.
Nationally, the states with the highest percentage of voters were Minnesota and the District of Columbia, each with voting rates of about 75 percent. Hawaii and Utah were among the states with the lowest turnouts, each with approximately 52 percent, according to the census.
To see precinct-level presidential results in Oklahoma, go to this database on our Right to Know page. The related story is here.
–Paul
Written by Paul Monies
Follow @pmonies
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