Voters more likely to be college-educated, upper-income

Associated Press
Published Saturday, October 14, 2000

WASHINGTON -- Older voters' steadfast belief in a civic duty to vote, coupled with the graying of the baby boomers, is increasing the political clout of senior citizens while turnout declines among others.

Both Al Gore and George W. Bush have noticed.

''That's why prescription drugs loom so important in this election,'' said political scientist David Aldrich, a voter specialist at Duke University, referring to the importance of older voters. ''Their voting turnout rates stay very high, and they are growing more in number.''

Older Americans are ''the people with the last vestiges of the religion of civic duty,'' said Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.

Voters these days are most likely to be college-educated, middle-to-upper income, older, employed and owners of homes, election records show.

But even in most of those categories, voting rates have been declining, said Gans. ''The elderly have increased their rate of participation,'' he noted.

Overall, only 49 percent turned out in the 1996 election, the lowest figure in a presidential year since 1924. Analysts expect a similar turnout this year.

Voting has declined in all regions of the country since 1964.