Black Power at the Polls

BlAck America Web, Sybil Wilkes:

According to political site 538.com, an early-July African American Research Collaborative poll of battleground states found that 35 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Black adults agreed that although they didn’t always like Trump’s policies, they liked his strong demeanor and defiance of the establishment.

The current news reports about conversations between Black celebrities and the Trump campaign, along with possible endorsements, are not happenstance.

As health concerns increased about losing older veteran election workers during the coronavirus pandemic, high school and college students as young as 16 have answered the call. This is especially important as concerns about the safety of mail-in ballots have escalated, leading to more in-person early voting. And, as the voting machines are changing, tech savvy young poll workers are important additions to keep voting machinery running. Organizations like Power the Polls have joined forces with the Campus Vote Project and More than a Vote in a number of initiatives that have increased the number of younger poll workers by tens of thousands. According to various news reports, more than 500,000 people have signed up to become first time poll workers through Power the Polls. Over half of them are under the age of 40. Cities like Philadelphia are reporting they have more people applying than they have poll positions. That’s a good problem to have.

Read the full article here.