The Weather

With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on most of the eastern half of the continental US I have to do a post about the weather and how it affects voter turn out. It is a common known fact that when the weather is bad, turnout is low. People do not want to be out in the rain and cold just to cast a vote. Does this low voter turnout favor anyone? There is correlative data that shows that low turnout supports Republicans and there is almost nothing definitive that shows if it favors one party over another.

35% of undecided voters would rather stay inside and not vote if weather conditions became inclement. That's a substantial portion of those eligible to vote! The Weather Channel sums up nicely how each segment of the population will vote in the upcoming election if weather conditions became a bit nasty. The most surprising bit they had was about income levels and how lower income people are less likely to vote compared to higher income people.

If the aftermath of Sandy is anything like what happened after Katrina in 2005, I believe that hardly anyone will be out to vote especially people with lower incomes. Hopefully Sandy stays where it is right now in terms of severity or else this next election could have a significantly lower turnout (and the turnout for the United States hasn't always been all too great anyways).