Upcoming Analysis Finds 2010 Electorate is “Old, White, Rich and Republican”

Today, McClatchy Newspapers gave a sneak peak of Project Vote’s exit poll analysis of the 2010 electorate.

The study, which will be released Wednesday, found that turnout among underrepresented, Democratic-leaning groups — including African-Americans, Latinos, and young people — seriously declined when compared to 2008. However, the study notes that Latino voting actually surged in certain states, “helping Democrats win hotly contested Senate races in California, Colorado and Nevada.”

In general, “2010 was the year of older, rich people.” Turnout among senior citizens was 16 percent higher than it was in the last midterm election in 2006 and they increasingly voted Republican. Though older Americans made up nearly a quarter of the 2010 electorate, they represent only 13 percent of the population. Similarly, the share of the vote skyrocketed for those earning more than $200,000 per year, and declined among those making less than $50,000.

“Perhaps the most significant point about voter turnout in 2010 is how many voters didn’t vote,” McClatchy reports. “Some 38 percent of eligible voters didn’t vote in 2008, and this November, another 33 percent didn’t show up, which means that ‘nonvoters were the majority in 2010,’ the report said.”