The 2012 election—the most searched news topic on Yahoo!—dominated news coverage and online conversation this year. Voters may have complained about the negative campaigning, but they heavily followed local, state and national races. On Nov. 6, citizens set their own records: The "youth" vote (ages 18 to 29) turned out in the same numbers as in 2008, in higher proportion than seniors, and may have helped to decide the election in swing states. The gender gap was the greatest in history. More Latinos than ever before registered, Across the nation, early voting surged. President Barack Obama beat Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term, winning 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206.
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The presidential election was one of the biggest news stories of the year. More » Top news: Election 2012
Here are the top 10 obsessions that, as ranked by their search volume and percentage spike compared with 2011 on Yahoo!. More » The year's top obsessions
One daredevil captivated the globe. More » Space: A record jump
A purple-hued squirrel was found in a Pennsylvania backyard and folks were flummoxed as to how it got its unusual colori … More » Animals: Purple squirrel
Since 2001, Yahoo! has dipped into billions of searches to uncover our … More » Decade of top searches
Inspiring and astounding moments from around the world. More » Video: Astounding moments
Lindsay Lohan, Octomom, and Hulk Hogan are just a few of the celebs who stuffed us full of their nonsense this year. More » Celebrity turkeys of 2012
From Disneyland to Dollywood, Yahoo! searches for travel spots are all over the map. More » Travel: Top tourism
