Only 37 percent of eligible voters turned out in the midterm elections, according to an early estimate from The Associated Press. Should that number hold, it would represent the lowest level of voter participation since 1942 — when a huge chunk of the electorate was busy fighting in World War II.
Republicans cleaned up in the midterms for a host of reasons: a favorable map, Obama's low approval rating, a stagnant economy, and so on. But midterm demographics in general greatly favor the party, and low turnout this year — particularly among core Democratic demographics like the young — only helped them that much more.