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HomeOpinionNAACP Research Finds Black Voters Are Far From Being a Monolith

NAACP Research Finds Black Voters Are Far From Being a Monolith

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media | Posted: October 5, 2022

he NAACP commissioned the leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research company HIT Strategies to analyze Black voter engagement and explore trends and devise strategies to reach voters on the issues that they care about. They found that Black voters are far from being a monolith – though they have many similarities.

However, critical nuances contribute to creating diverging trends among Black voters, particularly when researchers factor in sex and age.
The 2020 election cycle had historic turnout among people of color. HIT Strategies found that 14% of Black voters, 31% of Latino voters, and 39% of Asian American or Pacific Islander voters were new voters. Joe Biden did worse with all three of these demographics than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, though he did significantly better with White seniors, White men, and White college-educated voters.

The Democratic Party had one of the most diverse tickets ever. Candidates of color like Stacy Abrams and Raphael Warnock are supported by significantly different coalitions from Joe Biden. They may not do as well with White voters, thus it is imperative to increase their support among Black voters to succeed, according to the report.

Gender Gap
The research showed that the “Trump Bump,” where Donald Trump’s support increased among Black men voters, affected down ballot elections as well. Tom Tillis (R-NC), who beat Cal Cunningham by just 95,000 votes, would have lost if Black men were voting for Cunningham at the same rate as Black women. Though the Trump bump is not unique among Black men, since polls find men are generally more conservative than women, it was unique because they voted Democratic during Barack Obama’s election. In order for Democrats to succeed, they will need to reach voting Black men at the same rate as former President Obama did.

Pain – Power – Progress
In 2020, among Black voters polled in Georgia, 73% said that they felt extremely powerful and 71% turned out to vote. HIT Strategies determined there was a direct correlation between perceived political power and voter participation. Astonishingly, in 2022 this perception of power has dropped by almost 30%. If this leads to an equivalent decline in Black voter participation, in any state, HIT Strategies believe that it is likely that the candidates at the top of the ticket are much less likely to succeed. From these results, the NAACP found that in order to increase political participation, they must make Black voters feel powerful, knowing that if they feel powerful that they will not waste that power.

Understanding that Black voters are not a monolith, the research group conducted a regulation, that is not just criminalizing those that are perpetrating this violence but preventing the violence from happening in the first place,” Terrance Woodburry, CEO and founder of HIT Strategies said. “Just like the economy, they are not separating gun violence from racism.”

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade caused abortion access to surge as an issue, especially among Black voters under 50 years old. “There is no gender gap in support for abortion, it is constant across all young Black voters,” Woodbury said.

The Generational Gap
HIT Strategies uncovered a potentially threatening generation gap as they conducted their research.
“Young Black voters are extremely cynical, extremely frustrated — not just with Democrats, not just with Republicans, not even just with politics,” Woodbury said. “They are cynical towards institutions that they feel like have failed them.”

“When Black voters were asked if their lives had improved since Joe Biden was elected, 73% said that their lives had not improved, including 21% who said that their lives had gotten worse. When young Black voters were isolated, 28% said their lives had gotten worse. That’s where the erosion happens, both the erosion in turnout and the erosion of support for these candidates,” said Woodbury.

Though these same voters felt empowered in 2020, many of them don’t think that there has been enough progress. The critical challenge in future elections is “activating those young people, keeping them engaged in the process and making them feel that their votes are powerful enough to make a difference,” Woodbury concluded.

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centralvalleyvoicehttps://centralvalleyvoice.com
Felicia Roberts took an idea gathered a few people to reached into a minority community to highlight the positive, using a minority newspaper the Central Valley Voice. Roberts was joined by her sisters Carolyn Williams, Alleashia Thomas, niece Hermonie Lynn Williams, nephew Ron Williams, cousin Jerald Lester, Jay Slaffey, Greg Savage, Tim Daniels and the late J Denise Fontaine. Each individual played an important role in the birth of the newspapers. Since, then many have stood strong behind the success of the newspapers and its goal to fill a void in the Central Valley community. The Central Valley Voice published their 1st issue in November 1991. Its purposed was to highlight the achievements of minorities in the Central Valley. The Voice focuses on the accomplishments of African Americans and Hispanics giving young people role models while diminishing the stereotypical pictures of gangs, crime and violence that permeate the minority communities. Since 1991, the Central Valley Voice has provided an important voice for the minority community throughout the Madera, Merced. Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
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