The stakes in the Peach State couldn’t be higher for Democrats. But according to early data, the number of folks casting ballots on the first day of early voting was nearly double the number four years ago, and Black Georgians turned out in record numbers—despite ongoing efforts by the governor to suppress their vote.
Black voters in Georgia accounted for 39% of the nearly 123,000 people who voted in person on the first day of early voting—10% higher than their share of the state’s registered voters, the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) reports.
According to the AJC’s analysis, 50% of early voters identified as white, about 1% identified as Asian or Hispanic, and 9% opted out of choosing a race or chose “other.”
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These early reports may dispel the myth that Black voter turnout was expected to be lower than usual, particularly for candidates such as gubernatorial Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams. It’s been widely reported that Abrams has lost some in her solid base—specifically Democratic Black men.
According to Bloomberg, in past elections, a third of Black men registered in Georgia have not gone to the polls, and in 2020 and 2016, one in five Black men voted Republican for Donald Trump.
A poll conducted in September by the University of Georgia for the AJC found that 74% of Black men surveyed in the state said they were going to vote for Abrams, compared with 82% of Black women.
Abrams is aware of the gender gap and has focused much of her campaign on winning over Black male voters.
During a recent campaign stop outside of Atlanta, Abrams told a crowd of about 100 Black men, “If Black men vote for me, we win.”
Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, told Daily Kos that “Black men may trail Black women, but the two biggest consistent blocks of voters for Democrat and progressive candidates are far and away Black women, followed by Black men.”
He adds there is a level of sexism and patriarchy regarding male voters of all races. “We have to speak to it and be honest about it. […] However, most men will vote for whomever the best candidate is who will meet their interests.”
Of course, the recent early voting numbers don’t dive into gender, but the turnout among Black Georgians may indicate good news for Abrams.
Black voters have been targets of Gov. Brian Kemp’s ongoing efforts to suppress voter turnout. Kemp signed into law Senate Bill 202 in May 2021; the 98-page bill impacts everything from mail-in absentee voting, new ID rules, run-off times, and the ability to hand out water or food to voters waiting in line.
Last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally filed a lawsuit against Georgia, the Georgia Secretary of State, and the Georgia State Election Board over SB 202, which deemed the law racist as it makes it more difficult to vote in areas that are disproportionately Black, Newsone reported.
In a recent poll, GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker was down around 4% points behind Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, while Abrams trails Kemp by about 5 points.
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