African-Americans Lose Voter Majority Status in DC

Young, mostly white voters living in wealthier neighborhoods were a powerful force that helped shape the District of Columbia's election in November.

A new analysis of election data by The Washington Post shows African-Americans lost their majority status among voters for the first time in decades. Voters between ages 25 and 34 also outnumbered senior citizens for the first time in 40 years.

Young voters were casting ballots in gentrifying neighborhoods such as Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights, Shaw, the H Street corridor and NoMa in greater numbers. The shift appears to have been a factor in the overwhelming approval of an initiative legalizing marijuana.

Younger voters accounted for 22 percent of voters. Senior citizens comprised 20 percent. Historically black neighborhoods also comprised a smaller portion of the 2014 electorate.