| Some 2006 figures from the US Census Bureau: The population was just under 2.5 million --- shockingly, this represented a 24.9% growth over the year 2000, more than four times the population growth rate of the US as a whole. Nevada is today only slightly smaller than Iowa. Perhaps due to this rapid growth, Nevada also has a young population. In 2005, the median age was only 35, compared to a median age in Iowa in 2005 of 38.5. The population of people 18 years and younger is 25%, above the national average and higher than Iowa, while the population over 65 is only 11%. In 2006, more than a quarter of Nevada's population was Hispanic, 23% spoke a language other than English at home, and close to 8% of the population was African-American, making Nevada a far more diverse state. And the youth vote (18-29 years old) has been on the move in Nevada. In 2004, youth participation in the presidential election surged ten points to 43%. Given that the youth vote tripled in Iowa and doubled in New Hampshire, and many of the upcoming states have never seen such a competitive primary, it's fair to say that the youth vote is likely surge again. I'll be looking into the student vote in Nevada, which college and universities are in session, the number of Students for Barack Obama chapters in the state (by my count, there are at least six college and community chapters and nearly forty high school chapters.) Stay tuned. |
