pop, "Voter Turnout in November 1994 Election" (6/8/95) EMBARGOED UNTIL: JUNE 8, 1995 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB95-105 301-457-2794 301-457-4067 (TDD) Lynne Casper 301-457-2445 TURNOUT IN '94 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS--45 PERCENT; YOUNG VOTER PARTICIPATION SHOWS NO GAIN EMBARGOED UNTIL: JUNE 8, 1995 (THURSDAY) - Forty-five percent of those old enough to vote cast ballots in the November 1994 congressional elections and turnout by 18- to 24-year-olds showed no change from a one-in-five turnout in 1990, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said today. The percentage of the resident population 18 years old and over who said they voted in November 1994 (about 85 million persons) was unchanged from 1990. "Many people may be surprised by these findings. Because of the high turnover of elected officials, some people expected a higher voter turnout. Our data show this was not the case," said Lynne Casper, a Census Bureau demographer. The low turnout by 18- to 24-year-olds in 1994 contrasts with a 7 percent increase in voter participation by this age group between the 1988 and 1992 presidential elections (from 36 percent to 43 percent). Presidential elections generally have higher turnouts than congressional elections. Voter turnout for Whites was 47 percent, compared with 37 percent for African Americans and 19 percent for persons of Hispanic origin. Asians voted at levels similar to Hispanics, about 18 percent. Historically, the Census Bureau has calculated voter rates for the total resident population. The 1994 survey included detailed questions about place of birth and citizenship, allowing the Census Bureau to eliminate those non-citizens ineligible to vote from the data tabulation. Estimating the turnout rate for citizens only who meet the age requirements boosts the rate for the nation as a whole from 45 percent to 48 percent. Similarly, among citizens 18 years old and over, the turnout rate increased significantly for Hispanics (34 percent) and doubled for Asian and Pacific Islanders (41 percent). There was no overall difference in voter turnout rates between men and women in the 1994 elections. Likewise, there was no difference in the turnout rates between men and women in the 45- to 64-year-old age group (56 percent). However, women 18 to 44 years old reported slightly higher turnout rates than did men (36 percent versus 34 percent). Men 65 years old and over, on the other hand, continued to report higher participation than women in that age group (66 percent versus 57 percent). The difference, however, is less than it was in the 1966 election, the first congressional election year surveyed by the Census Bureau, when the gap was 14 percentage points in favor of men. The voter turnout and accompanying registration data are from the November 1994 Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey. For the first time, these data will not be published in a printed report; instead, primary dissemination will be via Internet. As in all surveys, the data in this release are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. The bureau also noted that people tend to overreport their participation in elections. Estimates provided by Election Data Services indicate that 75 million persons voted either in congressional or gubernatorial elections in November 1994. -X- Editor's note: EMBARGOED UNTIL: JUNE 8, 1995 (THURSDAY) - media representatives may access a copy of a statistical profile of the voting age population, historical time-series, detailed socio- economic, and state tables from the November 1994 Current Population Survey on Internet. The URL is: HTTP://www.census.gov/org/pop. Computer printouts may be purchased from the Voting Statistics Staff in Population Division on 301-457-2445; fax: 301-457-2481.