Anderson@Large

Countdown to Election Day

Voting While Black

The November election is 216 days away.

The Wisconsin Republican presidential primary will be held today. Voters will not have to show government-issued photo ID -- at least not yet. The legal challenges to one of the nation’s most restrictive photo ID laws are headed directly to the state Supreme Court.

The court could rule at any time so voters should get ready. A whopping 55 percent of African American men do not have a driver’s license.

Similarly, 49 percent of black women lack an official photo ID. Among African Americans between the ages of 18 and 24, 78 percent of black men and 66 percent of black women do not have a driver’s license.

The clock is ticking.

Connecting the Dots

Pennsylvania’s Day of Infamy

Forty-seven years ago today, civil rights activists were beaten by Alabama state troopers as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their march from Selma to Montgomery.

The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to mark this seminal date in voting rights history by passing HB 934, a voter suppression bill that will require voters to show government-issued photo ID in order to vote.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes wrote:

Under the guise of preventing voter fraud, this bill would actually disenfranchise many elderly and minority voters. It would suppress the right to vote for many Pennsylvanians by essentially making it harder to vote for individuals who do not have a photo ID.

Many individuals do not have a photo ID because of the cost. Some elderly have stated that they do not have the proper documentation needed to obtain a photo ID.

During a conference call with reporters, state Sen. Daylin Leach blasted Republican claims of voter impersonation:

If I am wrong about any of those pieces of information, I am going to get busted for doing this and face federal prosecution with potentially years in prison. What do I gain? I gain one vote in an election.

Had enough? Then be part of the solution and make a pledge to help fund development of the Cost of Freedom Voter ID App.

UPDATE: The Pennsylvania Senate passed HB 934 by a vote of 26-23. The struggle continues.

Happy Valentine's Day

If you love democracy, please view the livestream of a panel discussion on social media and voter ID TODAY from 3pm to 5pm EST. I will demo the Cost of Freedom App. You can join the conversation via Twitter using the hashtag #CAPVoterID.

For info about the Cost of Freedom Project, visit us at Facebook.com/CostofFreedom.

Black in America, by the Numbers

Today is Day One of Black History Month. It’s 28+1 days because of leap year. Still, it’s the shortest month.

The Census Bureau’s portrait of blacks in America, by the numbers.

Population

42 million
The number of people who identified as black, either alone or in combination with one or more other races, in the 2010 Census. They made up 13.6 percent of the total U.S. population. The black population grew by 15.4 percent from 2000 to 2010.

65.7 million
The projected black population of the United States (including those of more than one race) for July 1, 2050. On that date, according to the projection, blacks would constitute 15 percent of the nation’s total population.

As I get ready to demo the Cost of Freedom App during a panel discussion on social media and voter ID, these numbers are of particular interest

Voting

11.1 million
The number of blacks who voted in the 2010 congressional election, an increase from 11 percent of the total electorate in 2006 to 12 percent in 2010.

55%
Turnout rate in the 2008 presidential election for the 18- to 24-year-old citizen black population, an 8 percentage point increase from 2004. Blacks had the highest turnout rate in this age group.

65%
Turnout rate among black citizens regardless of age in the 2008 presidential election, up about 5 percentage points from 2004. Looking at voter turnout by race and Hispanic origin, non-Hispanic whites and blacks had the highest turnout levels.

Read more: Black (African-American) History Month: February 2012

Who Voted in 2010

As day follows night, black voters are blamed when Democrats lose an election. The 2010 midterm election was no exception.

Election after election, reports show African Americans turn out on Election Day. Democrats’ problem is with white Democrats who don’t show up or white independent voters who abandon them as they did in 2010.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports African Americans increased their share of the electorate, from 11 percent in 2006 (the last midterm election) to 12 percent in 2010. It is noted that black turnout was “not statistically different from the record high in 1998.”

In 2010, the overall turnout rate was 45.5 percent. White turnout was 46.7 percent compared to 43.5 percent for blacks.

There was a gender gap in black voter participation. Black female turnout was 43.5 percent. For black men, the turnout rate was 37.2 percent.

Hispanic and Asian turnout was 31.2 percent and 31.7 percent respectively.

As for Hispanics being “the largest and fastest growing minority,” those numbers don’t mean a thing if they can’t swing an election. And if you can’t vote, you don’t count.

The Census Bureau reports that 33.8 percent of Hispanics age 18 and over are registered to vote.

Tellingly, of the 32,457,000 voting-age Hispanics, 21,285,000 are citizens. Of those eligible to vote, 51.6 percent – 10,982,000 – are registered to vote.

Read more: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010 - Detailed Tables