One-Fifth of LGBTQ Adults Aren’t Registered to Vote, Says New Study

Well, this is one reason why we now have a SCOTUS conservative majority poised to confirm that we can be fired for being gay in the 27 states where we have no protections.

And if you look at the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote, the numbers are really dismal. I don't know the percentage for LGBTQ voters, but for the general public it is 50% or less. This means that when a presidential candidate wins the popular vote--usually by a plurality, or less than a majority--his or her actual percentage of votes considering the total numbers of eligible voters is less than 25%. Can someone enlighten me why eligible LGBTQ voters fail to vote when so much is at stake-- their jobs, their housing, their right to marry, etc? If it's just general apathy, perhaps the next SCOTUS decision gutting our rights by a 5-4 vote will serve as a cattle prod. Same for women and reproductive rights. Wake up and vote sheeple!

I am sure the TQ+++ doesn't even vote Democrat, nothing is lost here. I do want to know what percentage of the gay community needs to register to vote.

Curiously enough, those who identify as LGBT represent almost 27% of Iowa caucus electorate. So we do have an outsized influence in this very important first state.

I'm registered.

I assume the percentage who actually vote is low. Most gay people I know are not interested in politics. Granted, a huge percentage of straight people also are not, but I believe that gay people, other than the activists, are more likely to tune out the babble.

I used to vote in the primaries, the referendum, borough, state and federal elections. I think I actually last voted in 2012 for President Obama. After that, when I would go to vote there seemed to always be two or three NYPD officers present. So I gave up.

Ts are too busy scolding everyone on Twitter.

I'm fascinated by this thread and fascinated that evidently some people register. R5, how did you register? And how much does it cost? I wouldn't even know how or where to register or where to vote.

"After that, when I would go to vote there seemed to always be two or three NYPD officers present. So I gave up."

Is that a satirical post (I hope so)? Otherwise, that statement makes absolutely no sense at all. So what if there are cops around??

I don't vote if there are cops at the voting polls. It's safer to just leave.

Their passivity will be appreciated in the camps.

Well, certainly not the better fifth. Am I right, fellows?

I live in Kansas City, MO. I'm registered to vote and typically I vote in the morning before going to work, unless there are police officers, then I leave. I just don't want to engage with them. I might return after work to vote, but if there are any police around I just won't vote. I have a teenage daughter to think about and I don't want to take a chance dealing with the police.

Can we cross reference that with the cancellers and drama kweens on Twitter and see how many of them are voting?

Voting isn't easy in America r2. It's on a weekday and it's not a holiday, people still have to work.

The easy way to increase voter participation is make election day a national holiday.

The numbers of queer and straight people in this survey are basically the same. 20% of LGBT people not registered, 17% of straight people not registered. But it is sad that we aren't better than the straights there.

r15 Oh, they vote, they're just infinitesimal when it comes to the voting population. But boy are they loud.

R2: "And if you look at the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote, the numbers are really dismal. I don't know the percentage for LGBTQ voters, but for the general public it is 50% or less. "

I'm guessing it's a combination of factors. Work schedules, moving, etc., but also, a lot of the population lives in condensed areas, especially in Dem states. NYS is consistently blue, therefore, there's a lot of people that don't sweat if they miss voting because the outcome is pretty much guaranteed.

When you have an electoral college, individual voters don't count unless you're living in a swing state, or a state that is noticeably changing in voting patterns. I'd wager a big chunk of the LGB population is located in states like NY and CA.

The vote for who will be the Democrat running is more individual though, but lacks in voters too. However, you need to be registered as a Democrat to participate, which leaves out independents, greens, and any that are unregistered.

r18 the individual votes certainly do count in local elections, which also happen at the same time.