Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, Co-Founders of Black Voters Matter issued a statement Following the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary Election
This past Saturday, South Carolinians headed to the polls for the nation’s first Democratic Presidential Primary. This historic election showed that Black voters are leading the way not just in South Carolina but across the nation.
Despite talks of low enthusiasm among Black voters, we saw that participation increased by 13% for Black democrats in comparison to white Democrats whose turnout decreased since 2020. This significant rise in engagement is a testament to the important role that Black communities continue to play in shaping our democracy. The increase in the Black voter share of the electorate represents not just data, but a powerful statement that – We Fight Back against policies that threaten our communities. It demonstrates the commitment of Black South Carolinians to making their voices heard and their votes count. This level of participation is a clear indicator that Black voters are active and deeply invested in the political process.
During our convening, we spoke with Black voters of all ages about the things that were important to them through surveys, in-person conversations, community canvassing, and at our town hall and the two key takeaways were the overwhelming need to pass Hate Crime legislation and laws to protect public education from White supremacists and extremist groups. We believe that Black voters in South Carolina sent a strong message, and we will continue to organize to ensure that Black communities across the country are armed with the tools to fight back.
As our campaign states, we (Black voters) are fighting back. This election isn’t emotional for us, it’s about Black voters using the power of the vote to protect ourselves from policies that hurt our communities and support leadership that will advance our communities.
