Young adults in New Hampshire are more likely to vote in presidential elections than those in most other states, and the Granite State’s gap in participation rates between young voters and old voters is relatively narrow, according to data from the Census Bureau. But it’s still quite a gap. Almost 56 percent of New Hampshire people 29 and younger voted in 2012, compared with almost 73 percent of people 30 and older who vote.

That’s a difference of 17 percentage points, which seems huge – but it’s bigger elsewhere. New Hampshire had the nation’s 10th-smallest gap in voting rates between ages in the 2012 election.

By comparison, the difference was 22 percentage points in Massachusetts – 54 percent turnout for youngsters, 76 percent for older voters; 27 percentage points in Maine – 47 percent versus 74 percent; and 28 percent in Vermont, where just 41 percent of young adults voted, one of the lowest rates in the country.

New Hampshire was in the top 10 among states in voting percentage by young adults and older voters, with voting rates well above the national average in both categories. The data is compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the Current Population Survey, which provides voting estimates alongside other population characteristics such as age, sex, race and education. Most of the data had margins of error of 4 to 6 percentage points.

The different in voting rates by age has long been recognized by politicians, and helps explain why it’s easier to trim government support for college loans than for Medicare.

The gap is traditionally seen as an advantage to the Republican Party, whose voters tend to skew older than Democratic supports, but it’s no guarantee either way.

Mississippi, a Republican stronghold, has the highest turnout of young adult voters in the country except for the District of Columbia, at a whopping 68 percent, whereas Democratic stronghold Hawaii has one of the lowest turnout rates of older voters.

The Census Bureau analysis also found that national voting rates in presidential elections fell for all age groups from 1964-2012, except for voters older than 65, which in 2012 voted at almost a 70 percent clip.

It didn’t break down historical voting patterns by state.

In other national data, the analysis found that women voted at higher rates than men in most age groups, except for those older than 65.

David Brooks can be reached at 594-6531 or dbrooks@nashua
telegraph.com. Also, follow Brooks on Twitter (@GraniteGeek).