In a resounding victory, Donald Trump took control of the 2024 elections, experiencing a clean sweep of all seven battleground states. His victory in the Tar Heel State was more pronounced than in 2020, leaving no room for contention. However, amidst this tremendous showcase of ‘Trump Power,’ North Carolina witnessed a surprising Democrat win, as Josh Stein triumphed over his Republican adversary, Mark Robinson, in the gubernatorial race.
A record-breaking number of over 5.7 million citizens of North Carolina participated in the election, marking a high turnout of 73.7% – one of the highest in the state’s history. However, an intriguing question emerges from this situation. Who were the people behind these votes?
Following an analysis of the demographic data and voter turnout provided by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, fascinating insights were revealed. Although registered Republican voters exhibited the greatest enthusiasm, symbolized by the highest turnout percentage, a minor twist was seen – the most significant number of total ballots came from the unaffiliated voters.
The Democrats gathered a voter turnout of 73.1%, lagging behind the Republicans who achieved an impressive 79.8%. However, even the unaffiliated voters showed commendable dedication, with 66.9% making their voice heard. This is a clear example of the departure of voters from the lackluster policies and proposals held by the Democrat party.
The dwindling allure of the Democrats was further highlighted by their performance. They managed to cast over 170,000 fewer ballots in 2024 than in the previous 2020 presidential election. Their diminishing influence was additionally emphasized with a decrease of two percentage points in their turnout from 2020.
Contrarily, the Republicans, energized by their unwavering belief in Trump’s leadership, demonstrated an increase in ballots cast in 2024 compared to 2020. Despite having a higher turnout in 2020, the increase in actual ballots is a testament to the growing trust and conviction in Trump’s ability to lead the nation.
The unaffiliated voters also showed an inclination towards change, with over 200,000 more ballots cast in 2024 compared to 2020. However, like the Republicans, their turnout percentage was higher in 2020, depicting the need for more inclusive strategies to ensure unaffiliated voters feel seen and heard.
Examining the ethnic voter turnout further reinforced the dominance of white voters in this election. Cantonoping every other group by a considerable margin, white voters demonstrated the potential to sway election results. This raised concerns about the underrepresentation of racial minorities in the electoral process.
White voters surpassed Black voter turnout by 12.2 percentage points, Asian voters by 10.3 percentage points, and American Indian/Alaska Native voters by a massive 15.5 percentage point. Even more stark was the nearly 20 percentage point difference compared to the Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander voter turnout.
Factors other than race also demonstrated disparities in voter turnout. A noticeable gap was observed between Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic/Latino voters. The turnout rate for registered Hispanic/Latino voters stood at a paltry 56.2%, significantly lower than the 75.8% turnout rate recorded by non-Hispanic/Latino voters.
Despite this lower turnout percentage, it’s worth noting that in 2024, Hispanic/Latino voters cast almost 50,000 more votes than they did in 2020. This indicates a growing political interest within the community despite the overall low turnout.
An additional trend drawn from the data involves voter age groups. As age increased, so did turnout percentage. The youngest demographic of voters, ages 18-25, recorded the lowest turnout with 57.4%, indicating possible disillusionment or lack of political engagement within this demographic.
Outpaced by senior voters who were 66 or older by nearly 26 percentage points, this younger demographic exhibited declining interest in voting, possibly due to the uninspiring proposals presented by Democrat candidates.
Coupled with this lower turnout percentage, it was seen that the youngest voters from North Carolina cast over 12,000 more ballots this year as compared to 2020, revealing a slight uptick in political participation amongst this age group.
Wrapping up these observations, it can be said that while the overall turnout was high, disparities amongst ethnic and age demographics persist. Further, growing distancing from the Democrats is also perceptible, a clear reflection of the lack of appeal in their policy proposals.
Furthermore, the ascendancy of Trump and the Republican party is unarguable, backed by increasing voter confidence. However, each electoral demographic’s concerns must be addressed comprehensively in a bid to ensure a more inclusive democracy in future elections.