Title: Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History | Pew Research Center
Headings: Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History
Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History
I. Overview
Comparing the Census Bureau’s Turnout Estimate with the Reported Vote Tally
About this Report
A Note on Terminology
Facts are more important than ever

Content: For Hispanics, participation levels also increased, with the voter turnout rate rising 2.7 percentage points, from 47.2% in 2004 to 49.9% in 2008. Among Asians, voter participation rates increased from 44.6% in 2004 to 47.0% in 2008. Meanwhile, among white eligible voters, the voter turnout rate fell slightly, from 67.2% in 2004 to 66.1% in 2008. Much of the surge in black voter participation in 2008 was driven by increased participation among black women and younger voters. The voter turnout rate among eligible black female voters increased 5.1 percentage points, from 63.7% in 2004 to 68.8% in 2008. Overall, among all racial, ethnic and gender groups, black women had the highest voter turnout rate in November’s election—a first. Blacks ages 18 to 29 increased their voter turnout rate by 8.7 percentage points, from 49.5% in 2004 to 58.2% in 2008, according to an analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. The voter turnout rate among young black eligible voters was higher than that of young eligible voters of any other racial and ethnic group in 2008. This, too, was a first (Kirby and Kawashima-Ginsberg, 2009). The increased diversity of the electorate was also driven by population growth, especially among Latinos.