Graying of Washington’s electorate

Graying of Washington’s electorate

ivotedFresh numbers from the Washington Elections Division show the number of younger voters dropping as a percentage of the electorate – and their elders, 55 and older, growing as a bloc.

The state has nearly 3.6 million registered voters.  The closely watched youngest voters have traditionally the lowest voter turnout rate of all segments of the population – a perplexing reality that keeps election outreach workers searching for ways to connect.  The new figures show that the pool of 18-to 24-year olds eligible for this week’s election was 9 percent of the total electorate, shrinking from 10 percent last year. 

The segments between 25 and 54 were little changed.  But the older voters, 55 and older, grew as a share of the overall electorate.

Here’s the grid provided by Elections’ David Motz, our registration whiz:

Age Bracket % of November ’08’s WA electorate % of November ’09’s WA electorate
18-24 yrs old 10.0 9.0
25-34 yrs old 15.4 15.4
35-44 yrs old 17.2 16.9
45-54 yrs old 20.9 20.7
55-64 yrs old 18.2 18.9
65 yrs and older 18.3 19.1
  100.0 100.0

Source: WA Voter Registration Database

After this year’s election is certified next month, we’ll be able to find out the turnout by age bracket. Last year, 18-24-year olds had a 68 percent turnout and each age segment had a progressively better rate, including an amazing 91 percent participation by folks 55 and older!

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