On Wednesday, October 29, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released a report on black voter turnout and the 2014 midterm elections. The report was co-authored by Tyson King-Meadows, Chair of the Africana Studies Department and Associate Professor of Political Science, and Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science and Interim Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Emory University.
The report determined that black voters are a critical component of the electorate in 17 competitive gubernatorial and Senate races across the country. It also found that black voter participation declines in midterm elections, and “assuming a black vote share identical to 2010, the 2014 midterm election cycle will be a challenging year for Democrats, even with overwhelming African‐American support.”
In conducting research for the report, King-Meadows and Gillespie analyzed national and state‐specific registration and voting patterns, black‐white differences in participation and in candidate preference, and the dynamics of inter‐racial coalitions needed to secure Democratic victories. To read the full report, click here.
King-Meadows and Gillespie’s report received considerable press coverage, including the Washington Post, The Hill and Christian Science Monitor. For a complete list of coverage, click below:
Even with ‘mobilized’ black voters, Democrats could struggle in South (Christian Science Monitor)
Democrats needs black voters on Election Day. But they need white Southerners even more. (Washington Post)
The Party’s Over: Black Voters Must Turn Out for Themselves (BET)
Dems pin hopes on black vote (The Hill)
Voting Impact: Black Turnout and 2014 Midterms Findings Released (Black Enterprise)
African-American Turn-out Up in Early Voting (Breitbart)
Will the black vote matter in 2014? (Sun Sentinel)
A Look at How Black Voters Affected the Election Results (Atlanta Black Star)
Tags: AfricanaStudies, CAHSS, PoliticalScience
