Black and Hispanic voters traditionally have been less likely to vote, but they are now a core component of Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s bid for the White House.
The question now is: Will these minorities turn up to vote in full force?
“Traditionally, blacks don’t vote at the same rates as whites because as a whole, they’re less educated and less affluent …,” said Karen Kaufmann, associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, who has a specialty in black and Hispanic voters and urban politics.
But the enthusiasm over Obama possibly becoming the first black president is expected to affect turnout.
“It would be utterly shocking to me, if you didn’t see a surge in African-American voting,” she said.
Blacks have the additional benefit of strong mobilization methods, like the church, she said.
Hispanics, while also generally less educated and affluent, don’t have the same mobilization capacity, so a surge is unlikely.
“There’s some trepidation in the [Hispanic] community to vote, even if they are citizens,” Kaufmann said. “Many feel they have a tenuous legal status and don’t want to take risks.”
Based on research, national support among blacks for Obama over Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain is hovering around 9 to 1, while Hispanics support Obama by around 2 to 1 margin, she said.
Obama is leading McCain slightly 48 percent to 44.3 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.com, which averages several polling outlets like Gallup and Ipsos.
To reach voters, Radio One Inc., the nation’s largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets black and urban listeners, is working with the Respect my Vote Campaign to register more than 50,000 voters during its nonpartisan “One Vote” drive Tuesday through its radio stations in various markets including Baltimore.
“Throughout the day, there’ll be a litany of people coming on air, like local celebrities, coming out to urge people to exercise their right to vote,” said Barry Macon, director of corporate marketing for Radio One.
