Black voters surpassed whites during 2012 US presidential polls

New York, Apr. 29 (ANI): For the first time in U.S history, blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups during the presidential polls in 2012. The blacks supported Democratic candidate, Barack Obama while the whites stayed home. According to the analysis conducted for an international news agency, Republican candidate Mitt Romney could have won the presidential polls if the voter's turnout was at the same rates as in 2004. Moreover, the black turnout was below its current historic levels that year. The 2012 voter turnout was roughly 58 percent, down from 62 percent in 2008 and 60 percent in 2004, the reports added. Census data and exit polling showed that whites and blacks would continue to be the two largest racial groups of eligible voters for the next decade. The last elections showed a heavy black turnout came in spite of the effect of new voter-identification laws on minority voting, reports the New York Daily News. This was driven by the strong desire to re-elect the first black president of America. The blacks make up 12 percent of the share of eligible voters; they represented 13 percent of total 2012 votes cast, according to exit polling. This was a replicate of 2008 elections when blacks 'outperformed' their eligible voter share for the first time. However, the numbers has given a caution note to both Democrats and Republicans after Obama won in November with a historically low percentage of white supporters. Black turnout has set records despite record attempts to suppress the black vote, said Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the NAACP. (ANI)