Final answer:
The increase in political power among Sunbelt voters was primarily due to the rise in suburbanization, a trend that accompanied urbanization and led to population growth and socio-economic shifts in the Sunbelt regions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rise in the political power of voters living in the Sunbelt was primarily due to the rise in suburbanization that occurred at approximately the same time. This phenomenon can be understood in the context of shifts in the U.S. population and socioeconomic trends. During the latter half of the 20th century, as urban sprawl led to the growth of suburbs, many Americans moved to suburban areas due to a combination of factors, including the search for residential areas outside crowded urban centers, the relative affordability of suburban living compared to city life, and the desire for a different quality of life. In the Sunbelt, states in the southern and southwestern U.S., there was also significant population growth, fueled by factors like a warmer climate, job opportunities, and lower cost of living. This shift in population dynamics led to an increase in the political influence of these regions as their populations grew. Suburbanization is closely tied to trends of urbanization, yet it represents a move away from dense urban cores towards outlying residential districts. The conditions that gave rise to this movement, such as the housing boom of the 1980s and ongoing urban sprawl, contributed to the creation of exurbs, which are areas beyond the suburbs, further removed from the urban centers. Americans' migration to the Sunbelt was part of a larger rural-to-urban population shift that characterized the second half of the 20th century. With the increase in the Sunbelt's population came heightened electoral significance and greater political influence.