Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives at a campaign rally on Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash.
Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
Most of our assessments of the electorate in 2016 are dependent on estimates. Polling before the election that suggested where people were leaning; exit polling after the fact that gives us some sense of who actually turned out. When more than 137 million people vote, understanding exactly who they were and why they voted the way they did necessarily involves some guesswork.
On Thursday, though, Pew Research Center released an unusually robust survey of the 2016 electorate. In addition to having asked people how they voted, Pew’s team verified that they did, giving us a picture not only of the electorate but also of those who didn’t vote. There are a number of interesting details that emerge from that research, including a breakdown of President Trump’s support that confirms much of his base has backed him enthusiastically since the Republican primaries.
The data also makes another point very clear: Those […]
Stephan, To maintain that anyone who voted for a third party candidate is responsible for the election of Donald Trump is a ludicrous proposition. It is an error of logic that is beneath you. The fact is that two political parties cannot represent 300 million people. Period. The system is broken, not those who voted outside the duopoly.
The error in logic is yours. Given our type of elections not voting for the lesser of two “evils” at the Presidential level guarantees the greater evil.
Live with your responsibility. If you are capable of looking at it, which your words indicate you do not.
You have to deal with the data, Albus. This is not about opinion or speculation.
Voter shaming will never work.
That seems to be the Dems only strategy.
That will only drive people away.
How about differentiating the party from the GOP by actually moving to the left instead of trying to get Republicans to vote Dem?
Seems the Dem leadership is sabotaging real progressives at every turn.
The leadership of the Dems think they can serve capital and the worker at the same time.
Not possible.
The leadership of the dem party had nothing to do with poor showingsby progressives (outside of Vermont).
I’m a liberal, but the concept of moving left seems fatalistic – and unrealistic to reality of current demographics.
It’s the middle of the country where the battle will be won or lost today. The middle of the country was not charmed by Hillary and are hardly persuaded by the “progressive” Uber-leftists.
Swinging left will guarantee Trump another 4 years.
Let me tell all my readers yet again. I do not care a whit about partisan politics except anthropologically. What I care about is wellbeing. Forget about party issues, and always pick that party whose policies produce the greatest wellbeing. Neither party will be perfect, both will have great flaws, but in a two-party system you pick the one that holds the greatest promise of creating wellbeing.
The article shows what was already clear. Too many younger people feel no connection with the events controlling their lives, and thus feel and assume no responsibility to vote. It does not take several charts with colored circles to deliver that message.
I don’t know how the 30% of non-participants will be reached. A vastly more important message isn’t getting through to them at all
Please stop with this left right crap. Issues are what need talking and campaigning about. Why is single payer health care, free or near free college education, engaging climate change, prison and “justice system” reform, securing social security for us who have paid our entire working lives…., a left/right issue. It is an issue of fairness.
If the dems start working on these issues and more why not support them. And they are starting at the grassroots level whether the corporatist controllers change is less likely. Still our system is broken and needs revision/renewal. I’m old but there are a lot of smart young people coming up who can change the country.