'Non-Voters' Will Decide Midterms

Poorer, more liberal will likely surrender field to conservative voters
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2010 4:43 AM CDT
Updated Nov 1, 2010 6:42 AM CDT
'Non Voters' Will Decide Midterms
In the closing days before the crucial midterm election, President Barack Obama makes a final get-out-the-vote push for Democratic candidates over the weekend.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In what may be the final twist of irony in America's odder-than-odd midterm elections, it's the non-voters who will likely end up deciding tomorrow's races, suggests the Los Angeles Times. The "real majority" in US politics are those who stay home on election day, and they tend to be younger, poorer, less educated, and more liberal than likely voters. It's the apathy or total dejection of the nonvoter—not the anger of the Tea Party voter—that is the real elephant sitting in America's house of politics, writes Michael Muskal.

Turnout in midterm elections typically is less than 40% of the voting-age population, and recent analysis by the Pew Research Center, which says there will likely be more non-voters than voters tomorrow, backs that up. Some 31% of non-voters consider themselves conservative, compared with 46% of voters. (More politics stories.)

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