White voters dominated Georgia’s election last month
Posted: 4:52 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014
EmailBy Kristina Torres - The Atlanta Journal-…
Georgia
(Dec 17, 2014) —
Publication
Link To Article
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/white-voters-dominated-georgias-election-last-mont/njTQr/#10c854e1.3520061.735584
EmailBy Kristina Torres - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happy or sad about last month’s Republican election surge at the polls? You can thank
Georgia’s white voters.
New turnout numbers released Tuesday by the Secretary of State’s Office highlighted
the continuing dominance by white voters, who cast nearly two-thirds of the ballots
this fall despite their share of Georgia’s registered electorate having dipped to historic lows. The numbers, broken down by race and ethnicity, show no real surprises, but some
overarching gems can be gleaned from the data:
28.6% — African-American voters saw their highest turnout ever in a midterm, but an
increase of less than 1 percent from the last midterm in 2010 wasn’t the surge Democrats
needed. It also likely highlights a gap over individual candidates or issues such
as immigration. “A midterm election with an unpopular president probably made it harder,”
said Kerwin Swint, chairman of the political science department at Kennesaw State
University.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.