New Census Data on 2010 Election

The Census Bureau has released data on "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010" that compares voting and registration patterns by demographic, social, and geographic characteristics. This release is the latest in a series of national reports that is one of the most frequently cited sources for registration and turnout data.

Last year, Hispanics comprised 7% of voters, the highest percentage ever for a non-presidential election. The percentage of non-Hispanic white voters was 77.5%, down from 80.4% in 2006. Tiffany Julian of the Census Bureau's Education and Social Stratification Branch noted that "The electorate looks much different than when we first started collecting these data 37 years ago," yet turnout and registration rates still do not mirror the nation's growing diversity.

There are persistent voting gaps for many of the populations that nonprofits serve. In addition to racial and ethnic gaps, economic gaps remain stark: People in families who earned $100,000 or more were more than twice as likely to vote as those who lived with families earning less than $20,000. Homeowners were more likely to both register and vote than renters.

Based on this data, Nonprofit VOTE will be issuing a report next month that details registration and turnout gaps, along with other relevant information for the nonprofit community. In the meantime, check out the full data files from the Census Bureau.

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