Voted for the winner in each of 5 Presidential elections from 1972-1988.... born after 1946.... living in the Boston area.
Harder than you think. Voters under 30 had a much smaller movement toward the Dems in 1976 as compared with those 30 and older. Boston and many of its suburbs showed a decline in Carter's 1976 percentages compared with McGovern's four years earlier, from liberal Brookline (down 7 points) to WWC South Boston (down 19 points).
I'll give it a try.....
Graduates from MIT and finds work with Draper Labs in Cambridge. Votes for Nixon because he sees McGovern as anti-military. Becomes a born-again Christian in 1976 shortly before Carter announces his own born-again status, likes Carter and votes for him. Votes Republican next 3 Presidential elections because of conservative family values.
Maybe he is a mainstream conservative Republican who just hated Ford. Voted for Reagan in the 1976 primary, and then voted for Carter in the general as a screw-you vote. Reagan got the nomination in 1980 and that brought him back to the fold.
Demographics and trends, even the most blatant, never completely count out an individual voter. Even in 90-10 splits, the 10% has to come from somewhere.
