In a First, Blacks Voted at Higher Rate Than Whites

The US had a political milestone last November: Black people voted at a higher rate than whites for the first time in history, reports the Los Angeles Times. It was close, with blacks at 66.2% and whites at 64.1%, but long-term trends in both groups suggest that it can't solely be chalked up to black voters turning out for President Obama. Turnout has steadily increased among blacks from 53% in 1996, while the percentage for whites has declined since peaking with George Bush's re-election in 2004.

Latinos and Asian-Americans, meanwhile, had a quirk in their results. Among Latinos, the overall number of voters rose by 1.4 million to about 11 million, but the percentage of eligible voters who turned out dropped slightly to 48%. The same was true for Asian-Americans; overall numbers rose, but turnout fell to 47.3%. That suggests both groups have growing populations of potential voters ripe for the wooing. (More Black voters stories.)