Naysayers can keep on making excuses about how a sizable portion of the electorate failed to show up at the polls, for the elections were NOT just about Congress. Three solid blue state governorships turned over from long-time Democrats holdings to newly elected GOP execs. Two other blue states kept their GOP governors in place, bringing GOP-owned statehouses to a 3 to 2 factor over Dem-owned statehouses. And then there is the issue of about two-thirds of all state legislatures are now GOP-owned.
The GOP has more female governors-elect than the Democrats, two of whom are minorities. Also, the youngest member to be elected to Congress is a conservative Republican woman. Not only did voters reject a couple of white female Democrats, the opted for female Republicans, one being the first black representative from one of the last bastions of whiteyville, you know, Utah.
You wanna discuss voter turnout, or lack thereof? Take a look at volatile Ferguson, MO. The vast majority of black voter in that city failed to show up, even though a substantial portion of their complaints are a lack of representation. Records show a clear decline in black voter participation in Ferguson over the last three decades, coinciding with the growth of black households. While turnout was highest in the 2008 and 2012 national elections, black voters turned out at its lowest rate in the 2013 municipal elections.
It is of noteworthy mention that off-cycle municipal elections are a progressive product, borne to keep national politics out of the picture. Seems this policy is a surefire way to fail in getting Democrat supporters to the polls.