Election shows blacks remain engaged in political process
OPINION - Going by the exit polls in this week's local elections, when it comes to the African-American vote, Democrats may have less to worry about than has been suggested.
In the aftermath of this week’s elections, people are now talking about two major issues. One of these is what these elections mean for the Democrats and whether or not local Republican wins foretell what may happen in the next mid-term and presidential elections. The second big talking point is voter turnout.
With a significant drop in turnout in this week’s local elections, many have been left wondering what has happened to the energy and enthusiasm, seen particularly among typically under represented groups, which led to Barack Obama’s election just one year ago.
Black people have long been criticized for being politically disengaged. That changed last year when African-Americans overwhelmingly came out to support then-presidential candidate Obama. In the lead up to this week’s elections, however, there were fears that black voter turnout would take a nose dive without Obama on the ballot. However, looking at the exit polls, it seems that black voters actually bucked the low voter turnout trend this week. While others, such as those aged between 18 and 29, were noticeably absent from the polls, exit figures suggest that black people continue to remain politically engaged.
In New Jersey, for example, 14% of all voters were black despite predictions that the number would be as low as 8%. To put this in context, 12% – 14% of the New Jersey vote was black in the 2008 election.
In Virginia, black voter turnout was down to 16% from 20%, which is significantly less than the drop in turnout among other groups. In 2008, for example, 21% of young people in Virginia voted, with Obama gaining 60% of the vote in that state. This time around, however, only 7% of people aged between 18 and 29 voted, and only 44% of those voted for Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate. It becomes apparent that the voter turnout for African-Americans is actually to be celebrated, especially when it was expected that the drop would be much greater.
It’s not, as has been suggested, that black people didn’t vote in these elections but that with low voter turnout overall, they were not, on their own, able to swing these votes in favor of the Democrats.
That black voters will still come out and vote despite not having President Obama on the ballot suggests that black people in America remain politically engaged. This is likely to bode well for Democrats when it comes to the 2010 mid term elections. Although the African-American vote makes a difference in presidential elections, it is also massively important for local elections, especially in constituencies with large black populations. The loss of African-American voters is one fear that Democrats could potentially now put to rest.
Voter turnout is a big issue and the fact that it was down overall is a cause for concern, since it means that people aren’t participating in democracy. However, not only is it a positive thing to see black people continuing to take part in shaping their future, but when it comes to the African-American vote, Democrats may have less to worry about than has been previously suggested.
