Since we launched TROVE – the Tool to Reflect Overall Voter Engagement – on June 6, we’ve seen (and had) some interesting discussions about our state’s voting patterns. In other words, the new map-based tool is spurring deeper thought about the Nebraska electorate, including ways to improve regions that may vote in a lower proportion than others.
In addition to voter turnout, TROVE tracks economic and social demographic data like median income, poverty, and race. It was these characteristics that Civic Nebraska’s Daniel Bennett had in mind when he produced some initial findings. In summary, Daniel’s analysis of the state’s 2022 voting data showed:
 ›› Voter turnout varies widely not only across Nebraska, but within individual counties, cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The areas with the highest turnout tend to have very low poverty, higher percentages of high school graduates, and are predominantly white
›› Voters in “100 percent rural” areas of the state turn out at higher rates than those in our state’s urban cores (61 to 54 percent).Â
›› The geographic concentration of low-turnout and high-turnout census tracts in specific areas of towns and neighborhoods means the collective voice of these areas to vote for leaders and issues that reflect their values and priorities is diluted at the city and state levels.
›› Leaders and policymakers can discuss how race, poverty, a high-school diploma, and geographic factors relate to voter turnout in their communities, and support ways to generate the means, connections, confidence, and motivation to ensure higher turnout in historically lower-turnout areas.
See the full report here. And then …
Join us on Thursday, June 15, to learn more
We invite you to use this new resource to explore different areas of the state and to draw conclusions based on your own analysis of the data we’ve provided here. If you’d like, please share your observations and/or conclusions based on your exploration – we’re interested to see how our fellow Nebraskans can use this tool to glean insights about our state’s electorate. Civic Nebraska will host a short webinar at noon CDT (11 am MDT) on June 15 to introduce TROVE, discuss best practices and potential applications, and answer any questions about the new tool. Register for this Zoom gathering here!
