Black Voter Registration Rates Surge Amid Kamala Harris’ Historic Candidacy, Data Shows

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National voter registration data is the latest evidence that Vice President Kamala Harris‘ historic presidency has particularly inspired Black voters to participate in the upcoming election at unprecedented levels, according to a new report.

Specifically, young Black women voters are leading the overall rate of new voter registrations, and it’s not even close.

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Among all voters in 13 key states, the voter registration rate for Black women is up more than 175% compared to the same period in 2020, data firm Target Smart found in its analysis. That’s nearly triple what it was four years ago.

While that astronomical figure is all but unheard of, there is a similar trend afoot for other subsets of the influential Black voter demographic, the data shows.

The rate of voter registrations for Black women of all ages has skyrocketed by more than 98% and by more than 85% among all Black voters.

By all estimations, these elevated rates are uncommon, to say the least.

“175% is almost tripling of registration rates among this specific group. You just don’t see that sort of thing happen in elections normally,” said Tom Bonier, a senior adviser to TargetSmart, the data firm that crunched the numbers tracked since July 21 when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris replaced him.

Unlike polling, Bonier explained, voter registration rates are among the best indicators of whether someone intends to vote.

“People who are newly registered to vote are much more likely to vote on Election Day,” he said.

Notably, Bonier added, Democrats are out-registering Republicans since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee lat month.

Prior to Biden dropping out, Democrats were about even with Republicans when it came to voter registrations.

Since July 21, however, Democrats are holding about a 20% edge over Republicans in voter registration rates, Bonier said.

There's a surge in voter registration among key demographics ahead of November's election. According to the data firm TargetSmart, registration is up more than 175% among young Black women.

"175% is almost tripling of registration rates among this specific group. You just don't… pic.twitter.com/34NcsylGnH

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 27, 2024

Black voters — particularly women — have long been known as the backbone of the Democratic Party and were largely credited with securing Biden’s election in 2020.

This year, young Black voters have been a priority for Democrats.

Brencia Berry, political director for the Democratic National Committee, told NewsOne last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that one of the Harris Campaign’s main objectives is to make sure it’s showing up in spaces where young people are having important conversations.

“We are meeting people where they are,” Berry said. “To your point about strategy, showing up in places like TikTok and spaces that young people are engaging in is important. We have been tapping into different events, festivals, activations, and so much more. For example, we just recently partnered with BET for the BET Awards, did a voter activation space and had our IWillVote.com ads playing throughout the experience. People could also click on a QR code and go through the process to see if they’re registered to vote, see where their polling stations are and there was a voter protection hotline on there as well. So, for us, it’s just showing up in those spaces that are culturally relevant to young voters.”

The Harris campaign has also made it a point to rally Black women voters, like those who attended the 60th biennial boule of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in Houston earlier this month.

Jazlyn Perry, a young Black woman who attended the event, underscored the effect that Harris’ candidacy is having on Black women as a whole.

Perry told NewsOne at the rally that seeing Biden exit the race made this election more interesting and motivated her to dive deeper into the political process.

“I’m super excited to see Kamala Harris run for office,” Perry said. “I look forward to seeing more young people empowered to empower others to vote.”

According to the above voter registration data, it appears that Perry is seeing her visions realized, and then some.

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