The Changing American Electorate

Brad Settle, Kristen Ladd, and Lindsey Sullivan

Voters In America

• More than 228 million people qualified to vote in

2008.

• Yet only 131 million voted

• In other words, 60% of those eligible voted

• Nearly 100 million people did not vote

Identified Registered Voters

• There are roughly 55 million registered Republicans

• There are roughly 72 million registered Democrats

• There are roughly 42 million registered Independents

Demographics

GENDER AND SEX

50.95% of US inhabitants are Men

49.05% of US inhabitants are Women

RACE AND ETHNICITY

16.4% (50,477,594) of Latino or Hispanic descent.

12.6% (38,929,319) of Black of African American descent.

72.4% (223,553,265) of White or European descent.

4.8% (14,674,252) of Asian descent.

Hispanic/Latino Profile

1980 Election

• Gender:

Ronald Reagan (R) 46% women, 54% men

Jimmy Carter (D) 45% women, 37% men

John Anderson (I) 7% women, 7% men

• Race:

Ronald Reagan (R) 56% whites, 14% blacks, 37% Hispanics

Jimmy Carter (D) 36% whites, 83% blacks, 56% Hispanics

Anderson (I) 8% whites, 3% blacks, 7% Hispanics

How did the changing make-up ofthe electorate affect the 2012 presidential election?

How did the changing make-up of the electorate affect the 2012 presidential election?

America is becoming more diverse every year. Hispanics, blacks, Asians, and Europeans

are moving to the United States and obtaining citizenship every day. America is a “melting

pot” even more than it ever has been. Because of this, the Unites States Electoral College is

made up of multiple ethnicities. The political parties in America now must reach out to all

ethnicities. Most of the population is not white people like it used to be. In order to win an

election, the political parties must appeal to all races and religions in America in order to win an

election.

How did the changing make-up ofthe electorate affect the 2012 presidential election?

(cont.)

In the 2012 election, the Democratic Party truly focused on speaking to all of the races

within America. They related to every race individually, and made sure that equality was at the

forefront of their campaign. The republicans attempted to reach out to these different ethnicities;

however, they did not make it the center of their campaign. This was a mistake. Political

analysts are now saying that it was the “minority groups” that won the election for Obama. The

term “minority groups” is used lightly now because those ethnicities are becoming larger than

the white race. Because of the changing electorate make-up of the U.S., Obama won the election.

How will the change in electorate affect the two primary political parties?

The republicans now realize that they cannot win the election without gaining the

support of all the diverse ethnicities. The Democratic Party has been doing an outstanding job

speaking to all races, so in the future they will not alter their campaign in this aspect. However,

republicans must learn how to relate to all races and religions in order to keep their party alive.

The republicans must become more open to new ideas in order to attract more people. The

United States is becoming more accepting every year, and the Republican Party must adapt to

this changing America.

How will the change in electorate affect the two primary political parties?

The Republican Party will shift to take a more open

viewpoint on social aspects. The traditional way of the

Republican Party is to have a strict opinion on social issues;

however, this will have to loosen in order to win future

elections. If the Republican Party does not change, then the

Democratic Party will carry elections for a long time.

Did You Know?

• 10% of Democrats in the 2008 election voted for the Republican nominee. The same happened for 10% of the Republicans

• The most common religious affirmation among presidents has been Episcopalian

• Eight presidents were born British subjects.

• Lincoln was the tallest president, Madison was the shortest

• James Buchanon was the only president never to marry

Questions:

As of 2012, are there more registered republicans or democrats in the US?

a) Republicans b) Democrats

In terms of race and ethnicity, which is the most prevalent in the U.S., other that White?

b) Hispanic b) Black c) Asian

In terms of race and ethnicity, which of the two is the least prevalent in the U.S.?

c) Hispanic b) Asian c) Asian

Which political party is having difficulty targeting the youth of the U.S.?

d) Republicans b) Democrats c) Independents

Independents make up what percentage of the electorate?

a) 24.85% b) 37.93 c) 49.12%

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_registered_republican_voters_are_there_in_America

http://www.littleknownfactsshow.com/presidents.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#Sex_ratios

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/kevin-madden-credits-the-obama-campaign-for-changing-the-electorate/265221/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party

American Government Text Book