Breaking Down The Electorate

In the rough justice of election week, exit polling took a hit for alleged miscalculations in Florida. Still, exit polls are remarkably reliable, and they remain a useful tool for transforming our national voting numbers into a portrait of who we are and where we might be headed.

VOTER GENDER

As in '96, women favored Democrats and men went Republican

MALE Bush 53% Gore 42%

FEMALE Bush 43% Gore 54%

UNIONS AND GUNS

The U.A.W. holiday helped Gore in Michigan. The N.R.A. got its constituency out too

UNION HOUSEHOLDS Bush 37% Gore 59%

HOUSEHOLDS WITH GUNS Bush 61% Gore 36%

UNION HOUSEHOLDS WITH GUNS Bush 50% Gore 50%

PEROT VOTERS

They scattered. But Nader, who took 3% of the national vote. found more support among them than he did elsewhere

Bush 64% Gore 27% Nader 7%

THE FUTURE TRENDS

Despite the emphasis on inclusion at the Republican Convention, Bush actually fared worse than Bob Dole with most minority voters. U.S. Census Bureau estimates project a steady reduction in the size of the G.O.P's white Christian base, meaning party diversity will be critical to the Republican Party's future

VOTER RACIAL MAKE-UP

White 81% Black 10% Hispanic 7% Asian 2% Other 1%*

WHITE Bush 54% Gore 42%

BLACK Bush 9% Gore 90%

HISPANIC Bush 35% Gore 62%

ASIAN Bush 41% Gore 55%

OTHER Bush 39% Gore 55%

VOTE RY RELIGION

PROTESTANT/CHRISTIAN Bush 56% Gore 42%

CATHOLIC Bush 47% Gore 50%

JEWISH Bush 19% Gore 79%

OTHER Bush 28% Gore 62%

NONE Bush 30% Gore 61%

SUBURBAN BATTLEGROUNDS

Each party held its traditional geographic base, but the suburbs were a dog fight. With Democratic voters trending toward affluence, look for competition in the 'burbs to get hotter

RURAL Bush 59% Gore 37%

SUBURBS Bush 49% Gore 47%

CITY POP. 500,000+ Bush 26% Gore 71%

STATE INITIATIVES

BACKGROUND CHECKS AT GUN SHOWS

In the wake of Columbine:

COLORADO Yes 70% No 30%

OREGON Yes 60% No 40%

BAN GAY MARRIAGE

Two states voted to ban gay marriage, while pro-gay marriage Howard Dean held on as Vermont Governor

NEBRASKA Yes 70% No 30%

NEVADA Yes 70% No 30%

LEGALIZED MARIJUANA

Alaska nixed fully legal marijuana, while two states approved it for medical use. Californians voted to treat non-violent drug offenders as sick rather than criminally culpable

ALASKA Yes 39% No 61%

COLORADO Yes 54% No 46%

NEVADA Yes 65% No 35%

SCHOOL VOUCHERS

Two ballot initiatives failed, and 78% of voters surveyed nationwide said failing schools should be fixed; 16% said the solution was private-school vouchers

CALIFORNIA Yes 29% No 71%

MICHIGAN Yes 31% No 69%

Source: Voter News Service

*Other equals less than 1%