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Public Information Office CB00-114
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e-mail: pio@census.gov
Avalaura Gaither
301-457-2464
African Americans Defy Trend of Plunging
Voter Turnout, Census Bureau Reports
African Americans were the only race or ethnic group to defy the trend
of declining voter participation in congressional elections, increasing
their presence at the polls from 37 percent in 1994 to 40 percent in 1998,
according to a report released today by the Commerce Department's Census
Bureau. See accompanying table (PDF).
Nationwide, overall turnout by the voting-age population was down from
45 percent in 1994 to 42 percent in 1998 -- about 3 million fewer voters
in 1998 than in 1994.
"The increase in voter participation by African Americans was most notable
in the South, where the rate grew by 4 percentage points to 39 percent,"
said Avalaura Gaither, co-author of Voting and Registration in the Election
of November 1998, P20-523. "About 40 percent of the 9 million African
American voters lived in the South."
Turnout by Whites declined from 50 percent to 47 percent from 1994 to
1998, while Asian and Pacific Islander turnout fell from 22 percent to
19 percent and Hispanic turnout remained at 20 percent. (The turnout rates
for each of the latter two groups would increase by nearly 13 percentage
points if estimated noncitizens were subtracted from the voting-age
universe. Data by race in this release exclude people of Hispanic origin,
who may be of any race.)
Turnout also declined across all age groups and for men and women. For
example, 35 percent of 25- to 44-year-olds cast ballots in 1998, down from
39 percent in 1994.
Other highlights of the report:
Reasons for Not Voting
- Of the 40 million people who said they registered but did not vote in
the 1998 election, about one-third reported they were "too busy" or
had conflicting work or school schedules. Another 13 percent were not
interested or felt their vote would not make a difference.
Voter Turnout
- The West and Midwest states recorded the highest voting rates in 1998,
led by Minnesota (66 percent), while the South had the lowest (Virginia
was at 31 percent).
- Among voting-age citizens, the lowest voting rates by age were for 18- to
24-year-olds, where a ratio of slightly less than 1 in 5 voted. The age
group with the highest voting participation was 55- to 74-year-olds; more
than 3 in 5 in this age group cast ballots.
- Women (46 percent) were slightly more likely than men (45 percent) to vote
in 1998, continuing a trend that started in 1986.
- About 5 in 10 homeowners said they voted, compared with 3 out of 10 renters.
About one-half of those living in families who voted had family incomes of
more than $50,000.
- In 1998, voting-age citizens who had bachelor's degrees were nearly twice
as likely (6 in 10) to have voted as those who had not completed high
school (3 in 10).
Voter Registration
- Voter registration between 1994 and 1998 increased for African Americans
(from 59 percent to 61 percent) and Hispanics (from 31 percent to 34 percent).
The rates for Whites (68 percent) and Asians and Pacific Islanders
(29 percent) were the same in both elections.
- Of the 198 million people of voting age in 1998, 62 percent said they were
registered to vote. This is not significantly different from the percentage
registered in the 1994 and 1990 congressional elections.
- More than two-thirds of citizens in the Midwest were registered to vote.
North Dakota (91 percent) and Minnesota (83 percent) had the highest
registration rates, while many of the states with lower rates were in
the West (Nevada had 52 percent).
- The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds who were registered to vote declined
from 42 percent in 1994 to 39 percent in 1998. There was no significant
change for people ages 25 to 44 years.
The data were collected in the November 1998 Current Population Survey
(CPS) two weeks after the election. As in all surveys, data are subject to
sampling variability and other sources of error. The CPS routinely
overestimates voter turnout. Possible reasons include understatement of
the votes cast; overreporting by survey respondents who want to
demonstrate their civic responsibility; misreporting of voting because of
refusals or lack of knowledge on the part of proxy respondents; and survey
undercoverage.
available free from Adobe.
