In 2012, the Obama Youth Vote Is Black and Brown

An analysis finds that the president's support among young whites plummeted, but held steady among people of color.

By Julianne Hing Nov 13, 2012

A new analysis by the Black Youth Project parsed support for President Obama in last week’s election and found that while young voters defied pundits’ expectations that they’d stay home, it was young voters of color who brought it home for Obama. Black and Latino support for the president held steady from 2008 levels, but white young voter support for Obama dropped a full 10 percentage points. Voters of color under 30 are also shaping up to be a key part of the overall U.S. electorate. In this election they were roughly 20 percent of voters–and their numbers are growing. "Once again the youth vote–driven largely by young Blacks and Latinos–played a critical role in the presidential election, and it has become clear that Black and Latino youth will continue to exert increasing influence on the American electoral system," said Jon Rogowski, assistant professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis in a statement. Check out the rest of the study (here)[http://research.blackyouthproject.com/black-youth-and-the-future-of-american-politics/].