Minority, young voters pushed 2008 turnout

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- Five million more U.S. residents voted in the 2008 U.S. presidential election than did so in 2004, led by minorities and young voters, the U.S. officials say.

About 131 million people reported voting last November, up from the 126 million who went to the polls in the previous presidential election, U.S. Census Bureau numbers indicated. The increased turnout included about 2 million more African-American voters, 2 million more Hispanic voters and about 600,000 more Asian voters, while the number of non-Hispanic white voters remained statistically unchanged, the bureau said in a release.

"The 2008 presidential election saw a significant increase in voter turnout among young people, blacks and Hispanics," said Thom File, a voting analyst with the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. "But as turnout among some other demographic groups either decreased or remained unchanged, the overall 2008 voter turnout rate was not statistically different from 2004."

Young voters between ages 18 and 24 were the only age group to show a significant increase in turnout, reaching 49 percent in 2008 compared with 47 percent in 2004, with black young people logging the highest turnout at 55 percent, fully 8 percent higher than in 2004.