How Demographics Impact Voter Preference

The purpose of the study is to analyze the election years of 2012 and 2016 for the state of Pennsylvania to observe the effect of county-level demographics on voting behavior. Pennsylvania is a swing state that has been one of the vital election result contributors. I proposed that the years of 2012 and 2016 were of importance due to the racial and gender diversity present in the candidature. The objective of the study was to analyze these years considering the voter’s race and gender. Data from the American Census Survey was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Unexpectedly, results showed no direct link between county-level demographics and voting behavior. Implications of these findings are discussed.