October 29, 2014
Voting Impact: Black Turnout and 2014 Midterms Findings Released
Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released the results of its Black Turnout & the 2014 Midterms. Professors Andra Gillespie and Tyson King-Meadows created the report, which studied the in-depth impact of black voters in the United States Senate and governors’ races.
The report focused in on 13 competitive states and took the samples from these states. Arkansas, Kansas, and Kentucky had the lowest voting rates among black voters during the 2010 midterms. The results also conveyed that black voters are extremely important and a deciding factor of the electorate in eight of the competitive U.S. Senate contests and nine competitive gubernatorial contests.
Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Kentucky faced a major drop in the number of black voters during 2008 to 2010. While it was also found that black voter share tends to decrease during midterm elections, in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Louisiana the share was surprisingly higher in the 2010 midterms compared to the 2008 presidential elections.
Additionally, a strong number of black Democrats to vote would make it possible for Democrats and Independents to win outright majorities in U.S. Senate races in Colorado, Michigan, and Kansas, along with gubernatorial races in Maryland, Illinois, and potentially Florida and Kansas. The report concluded with findings that state if the black vote share this year is similar to the 2010 midterms, then 2014 will be a difficult year for Democrats.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies was founded in 1970 and is regarded as the leading think tank on people of color and public policy. Through extensive research and analysis, the Joint Center aims at improving the socioeconomic status for people of color.