Project Vote released a report this week that shows persistent bias in the Kentucky electorate: those who were registered to vote and vote in the Bluegrass State were not representative of the state's overall eligible population in 2006. This report takes a state-level look at the same topic as a recently released Project Vote report by Doug Hess, Representational Bias in the 2006 Electorate.
On the characteristics of Kentucky's registered and voted population, Who Votes in the Bluegrass State's executive summary shows that:
*Kentucky's white population has a high percentage of its population eligible to vote relative to Blacks and non-whites (75 percent for the white population and 57 percent for the non-white population).
*Blacks gained ground in registration as a percent of their eligible voting population, from 47 percent 1998 to 68 percent in 2006).
*Once registered, Kentucky's Blacks vote at a rate equal to whites (68 percent or both groups in 2006).
*More than four out of five citizens aged 65 and over were registered in 2006 compared to less than 3 out of five citizens under 30.
*Just 33 percent of voting-eligible persons earning less than $25,000 in 2006 voted; 80 percent of persons earning more than $75,000 voted.
"Community organizations should take aim at the biases in Kentucky's electorate by engaging youth, low-income, and new Kentuckians, helping these groups make a greater impact at the ballot box," says Spears. For more information on Project Vote, visit the website and see the full Who Votes in the Bluegrass State report.
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