RAE Spotlight: African-American Voters

February 11, 2016

from Gearing Up for 2016

During Black History Month, we thought it would be a good time to take a deeper look at a key segment of the Rising American Electorate (RAE)—African-American voters.

Nine out of ten African-Americans voted for Barack Obama in 2012¹, and the coalition behind President Obama’s victories in 2008 and 2012 is still intact and growing.
In fact, the number of eligible African-American voters is projected to increase from 2012 to 2016 by 2.1 million.²
In order to connect with African-American voters, and the RAE as a whole, candidates must champion a middle-class economic agenda combined with a political system reform agenda.
Over one-fifth of African-Americans live in poverty, according to recent Census data. In addition, many African-American women are still struggling economically with a median income of $35,000 a year and face a larger pay gap, making 70 cents for every dollar a white man makes.³
VPC has generated over 700,000 voter registration applications among African-Americans since 2004.

Notes
1. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Democracy Corps, and Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund. ”How unmarried women, youth and people of color defined this election,” 19 November 2012. Slide 33.
2. Lake Research Partners/The Voter Participation Center. “Gearing Up for 2016,” updated 25 September 2015. Slide 13.
3. Lake Research Partners/The Voter Participation Center. “Gearing Up for 2016,” updated 25 September 2015. Slide 61.

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U.S. Census: Unmarried and Single Americans Week

To commemorate Unmarried and Single Americans Week (September 17-23), the U.S. Census has produced a “Facts for Features” profile (PDF) of 2016 census data about unmarried Americans. Here are some of the highlights:

There are 110.6 unmarried people 18 or older in America, making up 45.2% of the U.S. adult population.
35.4 million Americans lived alone in 2016, representing 28.1% of all US households — up from 17.1% in 1970.
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Read the rest of the U.S. Census Bureau’s “Facts for Features” profile (PDF) on unmarried Americans.

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RAE Spotlight: African-American Voters

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