The outcome of several races and measures on the Nov. 2 California ballot is uncertain, but experts say one thing is sure: Three in four likely voters are white. When the Census Bureau announced in 2000 that white residents had slipped below half the state's population, many people assumed a political power shift was imminent. But white voters will dominate the electoral process for decades because voting is highly correlated with education and income, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. In "The Ties that Bind: Changing Demographics and Civic Engagement in California," PPIC researchers warn that the imbalance between the populace and policy decision-makers could aggravate the chasm between the haves and have-nots in the state. "California is headed into unchartered waters - the most diverse population in American history, voting rates lower than those in the rest of the nation and disproportionately low rates of voting," PPIC President David Lyon wrote, summarizing the findings of authors S. Karthick Ramakrishnan and Mark Baldassare. Using data from numerous statewide surveys, the PPIC found only 13 percent of likely voters are Latino, 7 percent African American and 5 percent Asian. White residents make up three-quarters of likely voters. [more
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