Ever Wonder Who Actually Votes?

The United States Census Bureau through The Current Population Survey (CPS) collects information on reported voting and registration of various demographic groups. The CPS is a monthly survey of 50,000 households and is conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In November of even numbered years the survey collects data on voting and voting registration. It does NOT provide data on party affiliation. But, it DOES provide valuable information on who votes and it has been conducted since 1996. This gives a picture of changes in voting behaviors among various voting age populations. You can search the data base by state and by voting year.  http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport2/voting/voting.hrml

For visual learners like myself, this site comes complete with charts and graphs to illustrate the data. For example, it gives information such as:

 Voting and registration rates tend to increase with age. In the United States in 2012 only 41.2 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds voted, compared with 72.0 percent of those 65 and older.

Voting and registration by age in United States: 2012

According to the CPS, in 2012 women voted at a rate of 63.7 percent and men at a rate of 59.7 percent. This will be important in the midterms this November 4th. Will women increase their rate of voting? What will this mean for Republican candidates? 

Another interesting statistic from the CPS, in 2012 citizens with at least a bachelor's degree had a voting rate of 77.1 percent compared to 38 percent for those who had not received a high school diploma. Now ask yourself which states have the lowest rates of high school graduation? Hmmm! 

There's much, much more at the website. I encourage you to visit and then draw some of your own conclusions.

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