New Geography analyzes the R-71 victory in November. Area wise an astonishing 85 percent of the territory voted no on R-71. However, the only “metropolitan” areas in the state where the majority voted no were the Richland-Kennewick area, Yakima and Longview.
The next strongest set of variables, clearly visual from the maps, lay in the strong split of the electorate according to the predominant educational level of the tracts. The tendency of the more educated to support 71 represents the key statistic of the “modern” vs “Traditional” dimension, and is closely related to the differences by occupation and industry. Managers and professionals, and those working in finance, and information sectors tended to be supportive of 71, while those in laboring and craft occupations, and in manufacturing, transport and utilities, tended to oppose.
Wow, what’s with the mountain resort tract in western Okanogan (Mazama, Twisp) with over 75% in support of R-71?
The detailed and revealing statistics are reported at NewGeography.com.
