The Nation - News from Oct. 7, 1987

For the first time, the share of young blacks who voted surged significantly ahead of the percentage of young whites who went to the polls, the Census Bureau reported in a study of turnout for the non-presidential 1986 election. Turnout of people aged 18 to 24 for both groups edged down slightly, but still rounded off to 25% for young blacks, while falling to 22% for their white counterparts, the report found. In the 1982 non-presidential balloting, the two groups were virtually tied, with turnout at about 25% each. Black registration and voting has grown significantly in the South, the study added.