… There may have been a backlash against voter suppression laws, bringing more minorities to the polls, not fewer.
The share of Hispanic voters rose in many states won by Obama. That can be attributed both to the surging Hispanic population in the country and to the Obama campaign’s incredible get-out-the-vote operation.
It is less clear why the black vote held steady or grew in many of those states. In Ohio, for example, blacks jumped from being 11 percent of the voters in 2008 to 15 percent this year. Threaten to steal something, and its owner’s grip grows tighter. [cont.]
Charles M. Blow, New York Times
Surprising that in 2008, Obama could have won without any black votes. Obviously not the case this year.
I think there may have been a backlash from the voter suppression efforts, but I also think some people who are less political might have stayed at home when they heard about how long it would take to vote.