Upheaval Looms as White Majorities Fade

Voting districts morph as minority power grows
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2009 5:21 AM CST
Upheaval Looms as White Majorities Fade
Harlem residents celebrate the election of Barack Obama last year. Voting figures indicate minorities are rapidly becoming the powerhouse voters in voting districts across the nation.   (Getty Images)

A sea change in American politics looms as white majorities are fading in a burgeoning number of voting districts across America. Nearly half of House members represent districts with at least 30% minority populations, double the rate in the 90s, and a fraction of what's bound to occur in the future. America's minority population is both increasing and dispersing beyond traditional metropolitan areas into rural areas.

"We're entering a new era which is being defined to a great degree by the incredible explosion of the nonwhite electorate," said the head of a Democratic group that studies voting trends. The trend has tremendous implications for both parties as Democrats have traditionally been the choice of minorities. About 40% of the 258 House Dems represent districts more than 40% minority, while 43% of the 177 House Republicans represent regions that are a least four-fifths white.
(More politics stories.)

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