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August 09, 2007

Gays more likely to vote than straights

Gays and lesbians turned out to vote in the 2004 national election at a rate nearly double that of the national electorate in certain cases, according to a study released by San Francisco–based Community Marketing.

Ninety-two percent of eligible gay men and 91% of lesbians cast their ballot in the last presidential election. The number dropped off a bit for the last midterm election: 84% of gays and 78%of lesbians voted in 2006. The study did not mention partisanship voting patterns.

Conversely, the Study of the American Electorate stated that 61% of all eligible Americans turned out for the 2004 election, while 40% voted in 2006.

The figures "demonstrate...that the political parties would be smart to pay attention to the issues that mean the most to gay and lesbian voters,” Tom Roth, president of Community Marketing, said in an article on the Los Angeles Times blog Top of the Ticket. “We have far more at stake than the average voter, and we’re therefore far more engaged in the political process.” (The Advocate)

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