The Power and Promise of the Black Vote
By Erin Carden
As the new administration attempts to erase Black history, Black voices, and Black representations, we’re doubling down on our mission to make it clear that we will never let them succeed.
By Erin Carden
As the new administration attempts to erase Black history, Black voices, and Black representations, we’re doubling down on our mission to make it clear that we will never let them succeed.
Whether we’re making sure voters are prepared to choose leaders who will fight for affordable housing, better schools, or quality healthcare, we’ll continue to stand with our thousands of partners across the country to uplift one another and fight for an inclusive and equitable future.
Since our founding in 2012, we’ve partnered with over 2,000 diverse organizations across the country to support communities most affected by restrictive and confusing voter ID laws. Among the millions of voters harmed by voter ID laws nationwide, Black Americans are among the most disproportionately disenfranchised. Our 2023 study with the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (UMCDC) found that almost 2 million Black Americans don’t have the kind of ID that many states now require to vote.
With the new administration in power for the next four years, voter ID laws aren’t going anywhere. In fact, we’ll likely see more states pass new or even stricter voter ID restrictions.
Voting gives us the freedom to shape our future, whether by choosing leaders who will fight to lower local grocery store prices or improve the quality of our nation’s healthcare system. But this fundamental freedom is at risk because lawmakers fear the power our votes can have. As the well-known saying goes, “If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try so hard to silence you.”
It’s true; lawmakers across the country are deliberately trying to block Black Americans from the ballot box because Black voters hold immense and growing electoral power.
Supporters claim voter ID laws are necessary to keep our elections secure, but this justification is illogical since our federal laws already ensure only US citizens can vote.
We refuse to let voter ID rules weaken our democracy by making our country less representative and less inclusive, which is why we work year-round with national and state organizations across the country to empower Black voters with the information and resources they need to continue to turn out at record rates.
If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try so hard to silence you
From the peach orchids of Georgia to the dairy farms of Wisconsin and beyond, here are just a few examples of how we’re teaming up with our pro-democracy allies to make sure voting remains a powerful tool for Black voters to build and protect their futures.
Georgia has one of the largest and most politically influential Black voter populations in the US, but its voter ID law and other voter suppression tactics disproportionately block Black Americans from the ballot box.
Since 2020, new voting laws in Georgia have stripped the state of ballot drop boxes, added voter ID requirements, and even banned giving water to voters standing in hours-long lines at the polls. Georgia voter Ellene G. almost didn’t get to vote in the 2024 general election because her local ballot drop box was removed. Luckily, she called our Voter ID Assistance Helpline, and we arranged a free ride to pick her up, take her to one of the only two ballot drop boxes now open in her county, and bring her safely back home.
“It was literally the smoothest transportation transaction anyone has ever done for me.” – Ellene G., Georgia Voter.
Georgia’s voter ID law also specifically impacts students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Students at seven of Georgia’s ten HBCUs cannot use their student IDs to vote. To fight this blatant discrimination, our Georgia team is working on the ground with trusted organizations dedicated to increasing Black voter turnout, including Fair Count, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on increasing civic engagement amongst undercounted and underrepresented communities across the country. We join many Fair Count events, including their bus tours throughout Southern Georgia, to meet voters where they are and make sure they have the ID information and support they need to make their ballots count in every election.
We also co-host a volunteer letter-writing event with Fair Count every Wednesday to make sure Georgia voters who likely don’t have an ID are aware of upcoming elections, what they’ll need to vote, and how to contact VoteRiders for free help getting an ID.
North Carolina’s voter ID law has changed a lot over the years. It was first passed in 2015 but was struck down because the legislature allegedly used information from a study that determined what forms of ID voters of color were less likely to have to craft the state’s list of acceptable IDs for voting.
Then, in 2018, an almost identical voter ID law was passed. Soon after, this law was ruled unconstitutional because it intentionally discriminated against Black and Brown voters. After years of litigation, North Carolina reinstated this voter ID law again in 2023. The rapid changes have left thousands of residents confused about their state’s voter ID requirements. Widespread voter confusion is a significant way voter ID laws disenfranchise Americans. Over half of eligible voters living in states that require a photo ID to vote in person don’t know their state’s laws and don’t realize they need this type of ID to cast a ballot.
To curb voter confusion, our North Carolina team works directly with local organizations to make sure voters in North Carolina’s underrepresented communities have accurate and clear information about what they need to vote and how VoteRiders can help them get an ID for free. Last year, we launched an “ID Me” bus tour across the state with our friends at Black Voters Matter, a voting rights organization committed to increasing political power in Black communities across the country. Along the tour, our team joined North Carolina pro-democracy allies at local canvassing events, community cookouts, and bustling block parties to make sure residents were ready to cast their ballots with confidence.
Ahead of the 2024 general election, we also partnered with one of North Carolina’s 11 HBCUs, North Carolina Central University (NCCU), to play a public service announcement on NCCU’s campus radio informing students, faculty, and staff that their university IDs would be accepted to vote. During North Carolina’s early voting period, we joined NCCU’s Soar to the Polls event to answer students’ questions about North Carolina’s voter ID requirements and cheer on the 1,000 young voters who cast their ballots early at NCCU’s early voting site.
In 2023, Ohio passed one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation. Suddenly, an estimated one million Ohioans would be unable to vote because they didn’t have a very specific kind of photo ID. We sprang into action as soon as the law passed and built a brand new on-the-ground Ohio coalition to soften the impact of this devastating blow on Ohioans’ voting rights.
Millions of Americans don’t have easy access to the various paperwork required to get an ID, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card. Willie Florence, a previously incarcerated American living in Ohio, was one of these millions. Eventually, his case manager at Volunteers of America’s Re-Entry Division Program (another of our Ohio partners) connected him to VoteRiders, and he was able to secure his Social Security card, birth certificate, and Ohio state ID.
“My new ID is kind of like my freedom papers.” – Willie F., Ohio Voter.
Since launching our Ohio coalition, our team has built partnerships with dozens of local organizations working to empower Black voters throughout the Buckeye State. One of these organizations is the Ohio Unity Coalition, a nonprofit focused on how voting can address the issues Black Ohioans care about most. Our Ohio team joins Ohio Unity in community canvassing, phone banking, and text banking events to get the word out about Ohio’s voter ID law and VoteRiders’ free ID resources.
We’re also very excited about our budding partnership with The Freedom Bloc, an organization dedicated to building Black political power in Ohio. Among other initiatives, we hope to join Freedom Bloc’s local food banks so we can connect with community members who need ID documents to vote and for life-saving essentials like housing and government assistance.
Black Americans are a key voting bloc in local and statewide elections, especially in urban areas like Philadelphia, which is nearly 40% Black. Pennsylvania also has a uniquely confusing voter ID law compared to other states. In Pennsylvania, voters should only be asked for ID if they’re voting in their precinct for the first time.
Our Pennsylvania team works closely with Pennsylvania’s Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP), an organization that empowers Black Americans in Pittsburgh through various social services. Last year, we provided free voter ID information and help at B-PEP’s voter registration drives, candidate meet-and-greets, and press conferences. We also co-hosted a text bank ahead of the 2024 general election to deliver crucial voter ID support to voters living in Pittsburgh’s predominantly Black neighborhoods.
While the overall number of Black voters in Wisconsin is smaller compared to states with larger Black populations, Black voters have a significant impact in Wisconsin’s close urban races. In cities like Milwaukee, high Black voter turnout has the power to decide the winners of local elections, which can influence the state’s broader political landscape.
Like voters in the other states discussed above, Black Wisconsinites also face disproportionate barriers to the ballot box caused by Wisconsin’s voter ID law and other voter suppression efforts. Last year, our Wisconsin team joined our friends at Black Voters Matter when their bus tour reached Wisconsin, handing out our state-specific Voter ID Information cards at early voting events and providing voter ID support to voters in need.
We’ve also been long-time besties with Souls to the Polls, a nonpartisan nonprofit voter education and advocacy organization focused on strengthening the voting power of Milwaukee’s Black community. Our team works alongside Souls to the Polls at various voting events throughout the year. A favorite of ours this year was a Halloween trick-or-treat early voting event where we told voters how scary-important it was to make sure they had the right ID to vote in November’s general election.
Aside from our partnerships with pro-democracy organizations focused on increasing Black voter turnout, we also work with many direct service organizations serving Wisconsin’s Black communities. One of these partners is Milwaukee Salvation Army Emergency Lodge, a shelter that refers many Wisconsites in need of ID help to VoteRiders—like Denesha, who needed new birth certificate copies for herself and her children to qualify for a re-housing program after their home burned down.
“VoteRiders helped me out tremendously. A lot of people don’t know about VoteRiders. The services are needed, definitely.” – Denesha, Wisconsin Voter.
The new administration is trying to silence Black voices and erase Black History, but we won’t let them. Black History is American History, and the recent and ongoing attacks on our Black communities are reminders of why our work remains so vital.
The power and promise of the Black vote is not going anywhere, and neither are we. Black Americans have always been, and will forever be, at the heart of our country. Alongside thousands of allies, we’ll keep fighting for the democracy we all want and deserve.
Learn more about our partnerships at VoteRiders.org/partner.
Erin Carden is VoteRiders’ Digital Communications Coordinator.
February 28, 2025.
