National Voter Registration Day: Why Black voters are being urged to check their registration
TheGrio...
Voter-roll removals, changing election rules and redistricting are among the barriers advocates say could affect Black voters ahead of the midterms.
Every year for the past 14 years, National Voter Registration Day has served as an opportunity to engage eligible voters about voter registration and education ahead of Election Day. For Black voters, who make up a projected 14% of eligible U.S. voters at 34 million, the nonpartisan civic holiday comes with greater importance as their participation rate in recent years has lagged behind that of white voters.
Despite having about the same turnout rate as white voters in the 2008 and 2012 elections, when former President Barack Obama was on the ballot, Black voter turnout dipped noticeably in 2024.
Chyann Sapp, campaign director for National Voter Registration Day, tells theGrio that, aside from those who are deliberately disengaged from the process altogether, there are various barriers for Black voters when it comes to registering to vote and subsequently casting their ballot.
“We see that a lot of Black voters, especially in the South, have been getting purged from the rolls, especially in light of the Callais [v. Louisiana] decision,” said Sapp, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April that rolled back protections for Black voters once enshrined in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“This is really an opportunity and a reminder for all voters to make sure that they are on the rolls for their states, to make sure that the information is accurate, that they haven’t been purged, and to update as needed,” she added.
Sapp said other key barriers are states changing registration rules, like shifting of deadlines, as well as identification requirements.
“There’s also disability access and transportation, and then just, in general, confusion that can keep eligible voters off the roll,” she told theGrio.
Justin J. Pearson, Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, told theGrio that spreading awareness about registration and voting in this year’s midterm election is especially crucial in his district, where, in light of the Callais decision, Republicans redrew the historically majority-Black district to dilute the voting power of Black voters.
“We need everybody, especially Black voters, to go and check their registration, and then if they are not registered, to go and register to vote because this election is extremely critical to our rights and to our future,” said Pearson, a Tennessee state representative. “We have a responsibility to make sure our ballots meet the vision that we have of our country of increasing the minimum wage, expanding access to health care, stopping these data centers, and really making life affordable for all of us.”
The congressional candidate added, “But that only happens if we have the right people in power, which means our votes make that vision more of a reality. And so everybody needs to register, and then if you love somebody, go make sure that they are registered too.”
Sapp says that National Voter Registration Day organization is bringing registration drives into “familiar places,” including libraries, food banks and campuses. The group is also working with nonprofits like Black Voters Matter and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote, and businesses that voters interact with every day to bring voter registration directly to them.
The voter registration advocate also acknowledged the frustration some Black voters may feel about the political process, as some choose to opt of out voting. She said that while voters are tired of hearing that every election year is unprecedented, it’s “not an over exaggeration,” adding “the policies that are being shaped by our elected officials are quite literally impacting us every single day.”
Sapp says National Voter Registration Day and their partners are working to help voters understand the “connection between their local government and all the way up to the federal.”
“A lot of voters kind of see the press around federal, but then they dismiss the local elections that are happening in their communities, and those are the elected officials that are making policies and passing legislation that are impacting their daily lives,” she told theGrio. “Our role is really just to make sure that we are making the resources accessible and as relevant as possible, so that voters are educated.”