In the U.S., those who don't vote like Obama a lot

Suffolk University has just polled those in the U.S. who say they are unlikely to vote in November’s presidential election. There are 80 million such Americans and Suffolks conclusions is that if those who are not planning to vote actually voted, Obama would cruise to re-election.

As it is, when pollsters add up the numbers for those likely to vote, it’s a pretty close race.

Tables, methodology, and the press release from Suffolk is all right here.

The “Votemaster” at electoral-vote.com sums up the poll’s results and implications:

[Unlikely voters] are not a politically aware bunch: 61% could not name the current Vice President. Also noteworthy is that 59% said they don’t pay attention to politics because nothing ever gets done. It is just a bunch of empty promises. Of these nonvoters, 55% view President Obama favorably while only 25% view Mitt Romney favorably. Clearly, Obama doesn’t have to convince them he is the better candidate. He only has to convince them that he could make a difference in their lives.

The top reason for not voting is that they have no time. The recent spate of state laws passed by Republican-controlled legislatures to reduce early voting, require voter ID cards, and create other barriers to voting are all designed to discourage these 80 million people from voting. They know that if this huge group starts voting in large numbers, they are doomed, so the motto here is: “Let sleeping dogs lie.”