Black voters 'frustrated' by Trump debate comments

Some African American voters find it frustrating and exhausting that President Donald Trump did not condemn white supremacist groups and their role in violence in some US cities this summer.

AFSCME, NAACP LAUNCH HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP TO MOBILIZE BLACK VOTERS

Partnership kicks off with a joint four-state presidential radio buy on African American radio stations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.

WASHINGTON – AFSCME and the NAACP launched on Saturday two radio ads which will run in the Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Flint, Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro markets through election day. Both the AFSCME and NAACP ads slam President Trump’s failures to combat COVID-19, while the virus continues to exact a brutal and disproportionate toll on the Black community.

“While Trump lied, Black people died,” says the NAACP ad before urging voters to request a ballot and make a plan to vote. “Trump spends his time golfing, while COVID-19 hits the black community hard,” says the voiceover in the AFSCME ad (paid for by AFSCME’s PAC, AFSCME PEOPLE) contrasting Trump’s record with that of Joe Biden’s to protect health care. The significant ad buys jumpstart a partnership between the two organizations that will focus on Black voter education and mobilization based on what is at stake in November and beyond for communities of color.

The partnership marks a new chapter in the shared activism and close bond between the civil rights community and AFSCME. Together, the NAACP and AFSCME are addressing the deep-seated racial injustices and corrupt incompetence which have forced Black communities across the country to bear the brunt of the health and economic crises facing the nation.

“The Black vote will determine the outcome of this consequential election, and we must ensure that we use this influence to elect leaders who will empower our communities,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “This historic collaboration is proof that our communities are united during these critical times. From the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 to ongoing police brutality experienced by black people, we must turn out to vote in November — and every election — if we are to achieve the representation and policy changes that will protect our communities. We must ensure that every voice is heard because our lives and future depend on it.”

Listen to the ad here: https://blackvoiceschangelives.org/press/ 

“I can’t recall an election where fundamental issues of racial justice have been more at stake,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “It’s going to take overwhelming turnout among African Americans and communities of color to prevail in November. That’s why AFSCME has entered into this unique partnership with the NAACP. By combining our resources and expertise, we will mobilize voters in targeted states who are tired of leaders who stoke racial resentment and head for the links while Black and brown people die by the thousands. This collaboration — between our two organizations that have done so much to advance civil rights, labor rights and human rights — will help ensure that voters are informed and empowered this November to elect leaders who will invest in all our communities and unite us around shared values.”

Listen to the AFSCME ad here: https://youtu.be/rpWh6P2fGmI

January 2020 poll shows Joe Biden still top pick among Black voters

A recent poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is the favored candidate among black voters by a wide margin.

According to the latest Washington Post/Ipsos national poll, 48 percent of Black voters who are likely to vote for a Democrat picked Biden as their top candidate.

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are a distant second and third, with 20 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

"It's hardly a surprise that Vice President Biden has such a large lead," Clifford Young, president of Ipsos Public Affairs, said.

"Our polling found that more than six in 10 African Americans believe the next president should continue to build on President Obama's policies, and Biden's campaign has promised to do exactly that," he explained.

The online poll was conducted Jan. 2-8 and surveyed a random national sample of 1,088 non-Hispanic Black adults over the age of 18. Overall, the poll has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points, and a four-point margin of error for the sample of 769 Democratic-leaning voters.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Jim Clyburn: Buttigieg's sexuality an issue for older black voters

Watch South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn discuss the trouble Mayor Pete Buttigieg is having attracting black voters in his home state primary during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.

Help register new voters with the NAACP 2019 POWER OF FIVE initative

POWER OF FIVE

The NAACP is organizing supporters all across the country to fight for policies that respect and improve our communities. Five Minutes, Five Hours, Five Days, Five Months … Can all be used to change our Nation for the better!

The Power of 5 campaign charges voters to take leadership of their own spheres of influence. The charge is simple: register 5 new voters before the deadline, ensure 5 people get to the polls, and volunteer 5 minutes, 5 hours or 5 days to make sure we have the highest turn out ever.

Learn more and sign up to support this NAACP initiative here: https://www.naacp.org/mobilize-your-five/

As an African American voter what three issues are most important to you?

The Democratic Primary is in full gear, and we are hearing potential presidential candidates talking about what THEY think are the most important things to black voters.

You hear some candidates talk as if voters of color only care about criminal justice reform or police brutality. Issues like education, environmental racism, healthcare, a livable wage, the economy, or domestic terrorism are also of importance to African American voters

That leads us to this question. As an African American voter what three issues are most important to you?

Take the poll below. You may pick three issues or add your own.

Elizabeth Warren speaks at NAACP candidates forum in Detroit

During the 2019 NAACP convention which took place on July 24, 2019, in Detroit, Sen. Elizabeth Warren took part in a forum that was moderated by April Ryan. Warren and Ryan discussed many issues on interest to African American voters. Watch their conversation.

Bernie Sanders speaks during NAACP forum in Detroit

During the 2019 NAACP convention which took place on July 24, 2019, in Detroit, Sen. Bernie Sanders took part in a forum that was moderated by April Ryan. Sanders and Ryan discussed many issues on interest to African American voters. Watch their conversation below.

Joe Biden speaks at NAACP forum in Detroit

During the 2019 NAACP convention which took place on July 24, 2019, in Detroit, former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden took part in a forum that was moderated by April Ryan. Biden and Ryan discussed many issues on interest to African American voters. Watch their conversation below.

Rep. John Lewis on Joe Biden: "I don't think the remarks are offensive."

Civil Rights icon John Lewis came to Joe Biden's defense after Biden suffered backlash over his boasting of working with political adversaries, such as racist segregationists, as a lawmaker.

22 Democratic presidential candidates attending Jim Clyburn's World Famous Fish Fry

It’s time again for the event columnist Roger Simon described as “one of those all-too-rare, feel-good evenings in politics,” and this year it’s bigger than ever. “Jim Clyburn’s World Famous Fish Fry” will be held on Friday, June 21st during the 2019 South Carolina Democratic Weekend in Columbia, S.C., and it will be a “can’t miss” stop for any candidate seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

Twenty-two Democrats running for president in 2020 will attend House Majority Whip James Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) fish fry in South Carolina next Friday as they jockey for support in the early primary state.

The event is likely to be the largest gathering of the 2020 candidates so far this election cycle, as nearly the entire primary field will attend. The fish fry, founded 30 years ago, has steadily grown into a campaign staple every four years and comes shortly before the first primary debates later this month.

“Each candidate will be given a generous moment to address the audience. The candidates are then encouraged to enjoy the fried fish, join in the electric slide and take selfies with the attendees,” a press release for the event said.

The only major contender of the 24-candidate field to not have confirmed their attendance is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

Jim Clyburn began the fish fry nearly three decades ago as a thank you to his campaign workers and for folks who couldn’t afford to attend the South Carolina State Democratic Party dinner. This free event is known for tons of fried fish, the Electric Slide, and old-fashioned politicking.

Cedric Richmond to co-chair Joe Biden’s campaign for president

U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, has been chosen as the first national co-chairman of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, The New York Times reported Friday (May 31). The selection could improve the former vice president’s stock with black voters and members of Congress at a time when two black Democrats, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, also are seeking the party’s nomination for president.

Richmond worked with Booker and Harris when he chaired the Congressional Black Caucus in 2017 and 2018, and Politico reported that he gave maximum monetary contributions to their campaigns. In August, he facilitated a question-and-answer session with another Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is white, at Dillard University in New Orleans.

But he also has been a vocal supporter of Biden, a white man who was a senator from Delaware before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president. Richmond was pushing Biden to run as early as 2016, the year Republican Donald Trump was elected president, and he formally endorsed Biden in April, Politico reported.

What will be his role in the Biden campaign? Richmond told The Times: “My biggest strength is offering political advice and using my political instincts to come up with strategy, and not just strategy in the African-American community. I think the real strength is in the South and other parts of the country."

Pete Buttigieg pledges to 'do better' at attracting black voters

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg pledged on Tuesday to do more to reach out to African-American voters, laying out specifics of how he'll address the lack of diversity.

"We need to invite more and more people into the process. We do it through our team and the team that we're building," Buttigieg told CNN's Poppy Harlow and John Avlon on "New Day."

The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said he needs to do better when it comes to reaching out to African-American voters and increasing the diversity of the crowd at his campaign events.

"I think we need to do better," Buttigieg told CNN. "As I've been on the trail, we found, to some extent, it depends on geography. We had a very diverse crowd at my first stop in Nevada, but less so in South Carolina. One of the most important things you can achieve in South Carolina is engage with African-American voters in particular, which represents such an important part of our party's coalition."

Buttigieg said his outreach to African-American voters will include ensuring his campaign addresses "issues that disproportionately affect families of color," like housing, income, entrepreneurship and criminal justice reform.

He also plans to reach out to African-American voters by "working to build a diverse team within our organization."

"Some of it is quantity time. Where do you go on these campaign visits? They're very traditional and important places where you can engage in voters of color, from church networks to some of the associations that have built up around the search for justice," Buttigieg said.

"But also, there's a bit of a generational divide here. Younger people of color are less likely to organize in some of the traditional structures that would be true for my parents' generation. And that's where digital organization and reaching into different media venues is going to be important to make those connections."

Asked if he was disappointed that his crowds have not been more diverse, Buttigieg said on Tuesday it means "we've got our work cut out for us."

[SOURCE: CNN]

NAACP VOTER TURNOUT EFFORTS SPUR INCREASED BLACK VOTER PARTICIPATION

NAACP civic engagement campaign helped generate record midterm election turnout among Black Voters 

BALTIMORE – From the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restored voting rights to convicted felons to the record number of early voting among voters of color – including a 77% increase among African American voters, the NAACP’s civic engagement initiative, The Demonstration Project, helped propel Black voter participation during the midterm election to historic heights.  

“Nothing can discredit the fact that leaders, activists, including NAACP supporters and partners, helped increase civic engagement in ways many thought would not be possible,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “This election not only further proved the power of the Black vote but was an overwhelming rebuke of Trump and Trumpism, and a show of support for candidates who look like America and campaigned on a bold, forward-looking and inclusive vision.”    

The NAACP, along with GSSA, LLC, a Colorado data analytics group, mapped out metrics for the Black community – across six states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan), to test new targeting models for low propensity and moderate propensity black voters, impact the elections and identify parity in registration and increase the turnout of Black voters in battleground states.   

NAACP door-knocking efforts produced the following numbers: 

• Florida: NAACP and partners knocked on approximately 165k doors and completed over 24k contacts. 
• Pennsylvania: approximately 30k doors and completed over 11k contacts.  
• Georgia: approximately 30k doors and completed over 6k contacts. 
• Ohio: approximately 17k doors and completed over 9k contacts.

NAACP voter protection work included:    

• Worked with County Board of Elections in various states, in real-time to ensure that issues at the polls were addressed in a timely manner and to support voters who had issues in casting their ballots. 

• Participated in litigation pressure efforts to extend voting hours due to voting administration irregularities in Georgia and Tennessee.  

NAACP victories to state-by-state include: 

• Helped flip the North Carolina Supreme Court 
• Helped to pass Amendment 4 in Florida – automatically restored voting rights in the state for people previously convicted of felonies   
• Helped to pass Proposal 3 in Michigan – Promote The Vote (Same Day Registration) 

NAACP communication and digital work included: 

• Reached over 575 thousand infrequent voters directly through peer to peer text messaging platform called, Hustle. 

Total Text Messages Sent:

• 512,014 (Across the six Demonstration Project states) 
• 578,569 (Including Maryland and Key Urban Centers) 

• Sent three flights of mail to our targeted universe of infrequent voters which included over 600k individual households. 

Unfortunately, voter suppression played a huge role in the silencing of the political voices of the Black community and all people of color during the election season. In Georgia and Tennessee alone, Republicans engaged in a massive voter suppression strategy that has included further rolling back the Voting Rights Act.  

“Now is the time to look forward and prepare for the 2020 Census, and the imminent threat that the Census will substantially undercount African-Americans and other people of color in communities throughout the United States,” President Johnson continued. “This would further dilute the votes of racial and ethnic minorities, deprive their communities of critical federal funds and undervalue their voices and interests in the political arena. We can’t let this administration use yet another mechanism to devalue and stifle the voices of people of color.”   

***Please note: The data above is just a preliminary count of the campaign’s efforts. Additional analytics and our full analytics will be produced over the coming weeks*** 

### 

ABOUT THE NAACP: 

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting naacp.org. 

Michelle Obama calls on NAACP members to not only vote but to increase black voter turnout

In a video released on Saturday, the former first lady teamed up with the NAACP, the country's largest civil rights organization, in efforts to increase African-American voter turnout in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Check out the video below.

Barack Obama aims to boost Wisconsin, Michigan Democratic turnout

Former President Barack Obama has appearances in Wisconsin and Michigan on Friday aimed at boosting turnout to aid Democrats, including black voters.

Low turnout in Milwaukee by African-Americans proved costly for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when she narrowly lost Wisconsin. One analysis found turnout fell nearly 20 points compared to Obama’s 2012 run.

It was much the same story in Detroit, and Clinton also lost Michigan.

Obama’s Friday appearance at a Milwaukee high school in a majority black neighborhood is aimed at helping Democratic candidates including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Tony Evers, who is challenging Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The former president will be in Michigan later Friday for an event at a Detroit high school.

[SOURCE: KTIV]

HBCU Students sue Texas county, allege voting rights violations

UPDATE: Waller County, Texas expands early voting for Prairie View A&M students

A group of students from a historically black university have filed a lawsuit alleging a southeast Texas county is suppressing the voting rights of its black residents.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Houston on Monday, five Prairie View A&M University students allege Waller County election officials are violating the civil rights of black students and residents in Prairie View — which is predominantly African-American — by not providing any early voting locations on campus or anywhere in the city during the first week of early voting, which started Monday.

In the second week of early voting, the county is providing five days in Prairie View, but two of them are off-campus and at a site that is not easily accessible to many students who lack transportation, according to the lawsuit.

Prairie View is located about 50 miles northwest of Houston. The historically black university, which has about 8,400 full and part-time students, represents a significant voting bloc in Waller County.

Read more: HBCU Students sue Texas county, allege voting rights violations

North Carolina poll worker removed amid allegations of intimidating black voters

Election officials in Bunn, North Carolina removed a poll worker from an early voting site Thursday following allegations that she intimidated several African American voters.

The poll worker has been assigned to office duty away from the voting site pending a meeting Tuesday, the NC State Board of Elections confirmed to The News & Observer on Saturday. On Tuesday, voters who filed complaints will speak with members of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

Members of an African American political action committee, Franklin County PAC, accused the poll worker of repeatedly asking about a half dozen African American voters voters to spell their names on Wednesday, the first day of early voting across the state.

The voter complaint comes amid a highly sensitive atmosphere with accusations of voter suppression, fraud and intimidation targeting people of color in a number of states including, Georgia, North Dakota and North Carolina.

The State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement said on Saturday that the agency has been in contact with Lisa Goswick, the Franklin County elections director.

The state agency released a statement to The News & Observer:

“The poll worker in question was taken off of poll duty and is working in the county office until the County Board can meet to discuss the incident. It is our understanding that the County Board will hear from the poll worker involved to get the other side of the story. The board also will hear from several eyewitnesses to the events. Both the State and County Board take these allegations seriously and will continue to gather facts.”

SOURCE: The News & Observer

NEW $2.6 MILLION CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE BLACK VOTER TURNOUT IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The Black Economic Alliance PAC and Black Economic Alliance Fund announced today a $2.6 million campaign to mobilize Black voters in 15 key races ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The campaign seeks to increase Black voter turnout in support of candidates who are championing sustainable policies that will improve and enhance economic outcomes for the Black community in the U.S.

“For far too long, many of our nation’s elected officials have been crafting policies that contribute to the economic disenfranchisement of millions of Black people across the country,” said Gerald Adolph, board member of the Black Economic Alliance PAC. “By investing nearly $3 million in targeted gubernatorial, congressional and senate races, we can help ensure that candidates rallying for policies that lead to better employment opportunities and wages for Black Americans are victorious in November.”

“This midterm election is crucial for the economic well-being of many Black people and their families. That’s why we’ve extensively surveyed the national landscape to identify candidates who can help improve economic opportunities for the Black community,” continued Adolph. “As the election draws closer and fields shift, we will continue to invest in candidates and races that can make the ultimate difference in the lives of Black people.”

The Black Economic Alliance PAC and Black Economic Alliance Fund’s investments will support candidates in the following races: Florida Governor (Andrew Gillum); Florida U.S. Senate (Bill Nelson); FL-18 (Lauren Baer); FL-26 (Debbie Murcarsel-Powell); IL-14 (Lauren Underwood); Maryland Governor (Ben Jealous); Michigan Governor (Gretchen Whitmer); Mississippi U.S. Senate (Mike Epsy); NV-4 (Steven Horsford); NY-19 (Antonio Delgado), NC-13 (Kathy Manning); Ohio Governor (Richard Cordray); TX-7 (Lizzie Fletcher); TX-32 (Colin Allred); and VA-2 (Elaine Luria).

The investments will also help engage and mobilize Black voters through a variety of tactics, including polling, radio, and digital advertising, door-to-door canvassing, SMS texting, and direct mail.

In addition to their own direct electoral programming, the Black Economic Alliance PAC and Black Economic Alliance Fund is partnering with and supporting the ongoing voter mobilization efforts of the BlackPAC, BlackPAC-FL, The Collective, House Majority PAC, For Our Future, Power PAC Plus, and Maryland Together We Rise.

Tennessee Black Voter project sues Tennessee county over invalid voter registrations

A group representing black voters is suing the election commission in Tennessee's largest county, which includes Memphis, after thousands of registrations were deemed invalid by the commission.

The Tennessee Black Voter Project filed a lawsuit Monday in Shelby County Chancery Court asking a judge to allow the group to inspect voter registration forms that the county's Election Commission has rejected.

Groups including the Black Voter Project submitted more than 36,000 registrations to the Election Commission in Shelby County. But the commission said about 55 percent of them were invalid because they were incomplete, were duplicates from previously registered voters or had come from convicted felons.

The group wants to inspect records detailing why the applications were rejected.

Read more: Group sues Tennessee county over invalid voter registrations.