IS THE BLACK VOTE READY
TO TURNOUT FOR THE 2026
MIDTERM ELECTIONS?
By Cash Michaels
An analysis
In every presidential term, about two years in, the same question is always asked - will the Black vote turn out for midterm elections, and if it does, how much will it lean Democrat, since the majority of African-Americans in the past have voted for Democrats?
According to published reports, while the majority of Black voters polled know that the 2026 November midterm elections are crucial towards addressing many of the negative policies that have emanated from Congress and the Trump Administration, that is still an open question mark surrounding Black voter turnout, especially when it comes to Black men.
Another concern is how Southern states have embraced the recent U.S. Supreme Court allowing them to redraw voting districts, essentially eliminating
majority-minority districts in some cases, or at the least, as in the case of North Carolina’s Congressional First District, redraw the voting lines so that more white Republican voters supplant the majority Black voting percentage that historically existed there.
To add clarity to what may or may not happen in the 2026 midterms elections as far as the Black vote is concerned, it may be instructive to take a look back four years to the midterms of 2022 to see what happened then.
According to a story by this reporter in November 2022 in the Black Press newspapers, “By all accounts, turnout overall in North Carolina was lower in the 2022 midterms than in the 2018 midterm elections, despite predictions to the contrary initially. Fifty-three percent of the electorate voted in 2018, compared to just 51% in 2022, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections.
Part of the reason was a “depressed” voter turnout by the Democratic base, according to political analyst Thomas Mills.
“…African American voters had the lowest turnout since before Barack Obama won the state in 2008,” Mills stated in his Politics NC newsletter. “Overall, turnout was below 2018 by more than two percent despite a Senate race this year and a Blue Moon election four years ago.”
What is striking is that this low midterm election turnout contrast to the 75% of eligible voters casting ballots in the 2020 presidential election, which saw more than 5 million North Carolinians go to the polls.”
The story continued, “Republicans were able to win a supermajority in the state Senate, fall one vote shy of a supermajority in the state House, take the majority on the state Supreme Court, maintain a majority on the state Court of Appeals, and essentially wipe out Black representation in Eastern North Carolina, because white, older Republican voters in the state’s rural voting districts “showed up, and showed out.””
“But what was most surprising to many observers was that even rural counties that logged more African-American voters than white, went Republican, even though there was a moderate Black female Democrat (U.S. Senate candidate and former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley) running at the top of the ticket.”
“In short, Cheri Beasley failed to energize Black voters, especially young Black voters. True she did very well in urban counties. However, only Wake and Durham had above average turnout. Guilford and Forsyth had average, while Mecklenburg, Cumberland and Pitt were lackluster.”
“In rural Anson County for example, where President Barack Obama won in his 2012 reelection campaign, Democrat Beasley fell short.”
Fast forward to the November 2026, ad the situation with NC Black voters is even more challenging than it was four years ago. This year, there is no “top of the ticket” Democratic candidate for major office to attract Black voters o the polls. And in particular, the challenge remains attracting young Black males to vote.
By some estimates, at least 25% of Black male voters may stay home this fall unless something, or someone motivates them differently. It’s already known that many are disenchanted with the Democratic Party, but it’s also known that many Black males are not pleased with President Trump and many of his policies that have hurt Black employment in and out of the federal government, in addition to his mishandling of the economy that drove gas prices and food prices through the roof, on top of other issues.
Then there’s the outlawing of all diversity, equity and inclusion policies in North Carolina state government, where Republicans still hold the majority, and the introduction of what many activists are calling repressive bills that would make it even harder to vote, limit how election officials can encourage voting turnout, and make it easier for members of the public to openly challenge a voter’s right to cast a ballot.
Plus the Republican state auditor would get more powers over how elections are conducted across the state.
Democrats hope that all Black voters, a majority of whom traditionally vote Democrat, will join with the rest of the party this November in showing up at the polls and voting their dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and the state.
“There is a personal responsibility to vote in order to honor the work of [Black] ancestors, says the NAACP. “Participants point to these civil rights victories as instances where when we fight, we win. There are critical things to fight for; Black Americans recognize that their rights are under attack and that the community must unite and must take measures to stop it. The struggle must be won, not just for the betterment of today, but so that future generations can thrive. Government officials should be part of the solution, and if they are not, the ballot is a way to hold elected leaders accountable for their failings.”
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NOT TOO SOON
FOR BLACKS TO
PREPARE FOR
EARLY VOTING
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Think it’s way too soon to properly prepare for the November 3rd midterm elections?
Think again.
In North Carolina, early voting for the highly touted, and what many consider crucial midterms actually begins on Friday September 4th “…with the initial sending of absentee ballots to voters who requested them. That is followed by in-person early voting (Oct. 15 to Oct. 31), and, of course, Election Day” according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE).
Voters, particularly Black voters, would do well to prepare as soon as possible for the November 3rd midterms, given that Republicans from President Trump and Congress in Washington, D.C., to Republicans in the NC General Assembly on Jones Street, are busy passing legislation to influence voting in this upcoming midterms.
By making sure now that your voter registration is accurate and legal so that your right to vote cannot be successfully challenged starting Sept. 4th, or if you plan to in-person early vote starting Thursday, October 15th through Saturday, October 31st, you will be, again, properly prepared for any legislative changes mandated from Congress or the NC General Assembly in plenty of time to ensure that your vote is indeed counted on Election Day.
Also, make sure you have a government-issued photo identification that can be shown when you vote as required.
Another way to be properly prepare to vote in the midterms is to start now, if you haven’t already, to familiarize yourself with the issues and what the candidates are saying about them.
That means knowing who the candidates are running for the following seats:
• One U.S. Senate seat
- 14 U.S. House seats
- 1 N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice seat
- 3 N.C. Court of Appeals Judge seats
- Statewide referendum
- 50 N.C. Senate seats
- 120 N.C. House seats
- Local judges and district attorneys
- County offices like sheriffs, county commissioners, and Board of Education members
- Municipal elections in some jurisdictions
You can find lists of candidates snd referendum on the 2026 ballot at Candidate Lists (https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)
Important voter dates and deadlines to prepare for include:
• Sept. 4: Absentee ballots must be available and distributed to military and overseas voters. For more, see vote by mail at https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail
- Oct. 9: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).* For more, see how to register at https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/how-register
- Oct. 15: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available. For more, see vote early in person (https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/how-register)
- Oct. 20: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).
- Oct. 31: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
- Nov. 3: Election Day. For more, see vote in person on Election Day (https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-person-election-day)
- Nov. 3: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)
Don’t wait until the last minute. Prepare now, and keep reading this newspaper for the latest information about possible changes for this November’s 2026 midterm elections.
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