Posted on May 26, 2005

Census Bureau Says Hispanic Voting Rate Steady In 2004

AP, May 26

WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau reports that whites and blacks voted in the 2004 presidential elections at higher rates than they did four years earlier.

But that wasn’t the case with Hispanics — one of the most heavily courted groups of voters by the political parties.

The turnout for non-Hispanic white voters increased by five percentage points in 2004 to 67 percent, while the gain for black voters was three percentage points to 60 percent.

The voting rates did not change for Hispanics, who came in at 47 percent — nor for Asian-Americans, who voted at a 44 percent rate.

The census report was based on the annual Current Population Survey of 60-thousand households.

The bureau estimates that 64 percent of U-S citizens over age 18 voted. The January report from the committee placed the 2004 turnout at almost 61 percent of those eligible to vote. That’s the highest rate since 1968.