Percentage of Registered Dems have decreased

[cally]

and California voters are disproportionately white, homeowners, and wealthier. Very interesting column by Dan Walters.

Dan Walters: Cultural gap could help state GOP, hurt Democrats
By Dan Walters -- Bee Columnist - (Published May 2, 2004)
The 2000 census confirmed what other demographic studies had already demonstrated: California entered the 21st century as the nation's most culturally diverse state.


The state's non-Latino white population had dropped to below 50 percent during the 1990s while those of Latinos and Asian Americans surged. In truth, however, California's cultural diversity is far more complex than a few ethnic classifications. One could argue, in fact, that California is the most complex society in the history of humankind.


In theory, California's politics should be just as diverse. In fact, they are not, and if anything, the political diversity gap is widening - perhaps to the detriment of the Democratic Party, which positions itself as the champion of nonwhite and immigrant Californians.


It's no secret among political professionals that California's voters - real voters, not theoretical voters or even registered voters - are overwhelmingly white, middle-aged, homeowning and relatively affluent. Election Day exit polls of voters have confirmed that fact year after year, and the voting numbers have remained remarkably consistent even as the overall demography has rapidly evolved.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/v-text/story/9151011p-10076594c.html

[buff2]

1. Where did all those Latinos go?

:shrug:

[cally]

2. The article says that the proportion who

vote is much less than affluent whites. Also, independent registration has increased.

[Webster Green]

3. I have registered a lot of California voters lately....

While circulating petitions for ballot initiatives, I registered hundreds of people who were either new voters, or changing their address. I noticed that a lot of these people registered as independent or decline to state.

I had some anti-bush signs hung on my tables, and found that the signs seemed to draw people in to see what I was doing. Needless to say, I got into a lot of political conversations with my patrons, and believe me, there were not many bush supporters among them.

I was surprised at how many obviously progressive people registered but did not register as Democrats.

Oh, and nobody registered as a Green. Not one!