CHART: The 2014 Electorate Was Really, Really Old

Chris White, of Norwalk, Iowa, center, reacts during an election night rally for U.S. Sen.-elect Joni Ernst, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in West Des Moines, Iowa. Ernst defeated U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, in the race... Chris White, of Norwalk, Iowa, center, reacts during an election night rally for U.S. Sen.-elect Joni Ernst, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in West Des Moines, Iowa. Ernst defeated U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) MORE LESS
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Older voters helped propel Republicans to sweeping victories Tuesday in Senate and gubernatorial races nationwide, according to exit polls from NBC News.

The disparity between the under-30 and over-60 was the widest it’s been in a decade, those polls found. The seniors comprised 37 percent of the electorate; young people made up 12 percent.


Image via NBC News.

That was even more extreme than 2010, another great Republican year, when the split was 32 percent over 60 and 12 percent under 30.

That analysis rang true for those supporting Democrats in key battleground states on Election Day. One source familiar with the Colorado Senate race told TPM on Tuesday that youth turnout there had been “pathetic.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for sjk sjk says:

    They’ll be gone soon enough, bless their hearts…

  2. Avatar for aporia aporia says:

    Thanks, Redditt.

  3. Avatar for tcinla tcinla says:

    I guess we need to let the kidz vote on Facebook.

    Maybe reinstitute the draft, too, so they start paying attention, the way we did in the Sixties. It’s amazing how the thought of getting your ass shot can stimulate your interest in politics.

  4. In other words, our parents’ generation continues to want to fuck us well into the future. Stay the course! Keep doing it and it will eventually have a different result, right?

  5. Big shocker. The Republicans scared the hell out of old white people with EBOLA AND TURRISTS AND MOOZLUMZ, OH MY!!

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