Faye Anderson: 'Don't Blame African Americans for the Democrats' Loss in 2010 Midterm Elections

Soulclap to Booker Rising for pointing us to a recent blog post by Faye Anderson: "As day follows night, black voters are blamed when Democrats lose an election. The 2010 midterm election was no exception. Election after election, reports show African Americans turn out on Election Day. Democrats’ problem is with white Democrats who don’t show up or white independent voters who abandon them as they did in 2010."

She continues her commentary: "The U.S. Census Bureau reports African Americans increased their share of the electorate, from 11 percent in 2006 (the last midterm election) to 12 percent in 2010. It is noted that black turnout was 'not statistically different from the record high in 1998.' In 2010, the overall turnout rate was 45.5 percent. White turnout was 46.7 percent compared to 43.5 percent for blacks. There was a gender gap in black voter participation. Black female turnout was 43.5 percent. For black men, the turnout rate was 37.2 percent."

Where To Vote: 50 States Websites

If you haven’t voted today (or in early voting) and you still need to know where to go; check out these links to state voting commissions:

• Alabama


• Alaska


• Arizona


• Arkansas


• California


• Colorado


• Connecticut


• Delaware


• District of Columbia


• Florida


• Georgia


• Hawaii


• Idaho


• Illinois


• Indiana


• Iowa


• Kansas


• Kentucky


• Louisiana


• Maine


• Maryland


• Massachusetts


• Michigan


• Minnesota


• Mississippi


• Missouri


• Montana


• Nebraska


• Nevada


• New Hampshire


• New Jersey


• New Hampshire


• New York


• North Carolina


• North Dakota


• Ohio


• Oklahoma


• Oregon


• Pennsylvania


• Rhode Island


• South Carolina


• South Dakota


• Tennessee


• Texas


• Utah


• Vermont


• Virginia


• Washington


• West Virginia


• Wisconsin


• Wyoming


• Vote From Abroad

Please share this information with others. We want to increase voter participation by everyone again in this 2010 election cycle.

Finally, check the link for your state to ensure that it is still accurate!

Will HATE Overcome HOPE in Election?

Soulclap to the folks at Presente.org for putting this video together. If you had any doubts about voting, this video should help get rid of them.





Tuesday, November 2nd, is Election Day. One factor will determine the outcome: Who votes. Stand up to the bigotry, hatred, and divisiveness that's permeating today's political climate. Vote Tuesday, and urge everyone you know to get to the polls.

Cross-posted from Electronic Village.

Raise Your Vote: We Are STILL The Ones

Our president came into office with remarkable challenges. In my view he has been a president focused on getting things done. He didn't take easy choices. He didn't go for popular choices. He looked at the issues and problems that were given to him by the former president ... and President Obama worked the issues in a professional way.

He's only been in office for less than two years ... and his accomplishments are beyond comparison to most, if not all, of the presidents that have been in the White House during my lifetime.

Yet, there are many who decided that they didn't want our president to succeed.

I can't control them. I can only control myself. I choose to remember the vibe that ran through our country when Obama was elected as our president. I choose to remind myself and other 'villagers' reading this blog to raise our vote and shout it out -- We are STILL the ones!





Are you with me on this one? Are you going to vote tomorrow? Are you going to ensure that those in your sphere of influence are also going to vote? We are STILL the ones!

Raise Your Vote: Yes We Can!

We are 48 hours away from the November 2 elections. Each and every person who is reading this blog post needs to make a personal commitment to do two things:

1. Vote!
2. Get those in your sphere of influence to VOTE!

That's it. That's all there is to it. Either you are in favor of seeing our president succeed OR you are rallying with those who want to see him destroyed.

I choose to believe that Proud Black Voters like you and me can make the difference. As we told ourselves two years ago -- YES WE CAN!





What say u?

Russell Simmons and Clyde Williams Meet With Black Bloggers

Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and DNC national political director Clyde Williams met with a number of Black bloggers on October 29, 2010. Here are links to the blog posts that resulted from that meeting:

1. African American Pundit - Russell Simmons and DNC Host Conference Call With African American Online Community
2. Electronic Village - Russell Simmons Shares His Insights on November 2 Election With Black Bloggers

What are your thoughts on the upcoming mid-term elections?

Russell Simmons Shares His Insights on November 2 Election with Black Bloggers

Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and DNC National Political Director Clyde Williams met earlier today with the African American online community ... including the Electronic Village. Simmons noted that he has been traveling around the country in support of President Obama and the Democratic Party. He was in Chicago yesterday ... Detroit today ... and he'll be joining with the President in Connecticut tomorrow.

Simmons' message to the Black bloggers, and through us to our readers, was simple -- The African American community needs to stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong (Cor. 16:13). The faith that we have placed in President Obama is useless without our works. Simmons says that our work in this case is simple:

1. Vote
2. Get those that are in our sphere of influence to vote

He acknowledged that there are a plethora of issues that face the African American community including implementation of the health care reform, prison reform, gay rights, poverty initiatives, unemployment and so on. Simmons understands that many in our community feel that the changes we wanted when President Obama took office in January 2009 have not happened fast enough.

The remedy is not to become apathetic. The remedy is not to let our nation go backwards to failed policies and leadership of the past. Rather we need to push forward and harder for the change that we want and need.

Simmons was quick to point out that the Tea Party movement can turn nation backwards in a heartbeat.

"Reaction to our president (by the Tea Party) is violent and scary and it could split our country. We need to stand up. We need to prioritize voting (on November 2) by our people."

DNC Political Director Clyde Williams noted that it is important for the DNC to stay connected with the African American online community as demonstrated by recent meetings with DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama.

Williams pointed out that there is a clear choice to made on November 2nd when we enter the voting booth. We either want to make our President successful or we want him to fail. He noted the remarkable accomplishments of President Obama in the first 2 years of his administration. However, he also noted that the Republican Party is poised to turn our nation backwards in a number of ways.

Simmons did note that a number of hip-hop and R&B celebrities were also engaged in the work of turning out the vote. He noted that he has been encouraged by his recent visits around the country. Simmons has a sense that the so-called 'enthusiasm gap' is not as wide as it was earlier in the year.

---

Villagers, I was disappointed that the DNC didn't allow sufficient time for questions from the Black bloggers who were in attendance. I had two questions that I wanted to ask:

1. African Americans voters remain committed to President Obama and the DNC in a very tangible way. Why was an effort allowed by forces in the Democratic Party to get Florida senatorial candidate Kendrick Meek to step down?
2. The problem with the November 2 election isn't apathy of Black voters, it is the desertion of white middle class voters who stood with Obama in 2008 ... and now are fleeing to the GOP or Tea Party. What is the game plan to stop the bleeding of white middle class voters?

Those were two questions that I had on my mind. However, the forum didn't allow enough time for me or the other Black bloggers to ask questions.

What question(s) would you want to ask Russell Simmons or Clyde Williams if you had the opportunity?

Every Day is Voting Day in Ohio

I remember clearly how I felt when I cast my ballot for Barack Obama on November 4, 2008. There were quite a few others that did the same. Do you remember watching Obama's victory speech that night?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Here in Ohio, every day is Election Day through November 2nd, because early voting has begun. I went down to the Warren County board of elections office last week to cast my ballot. It took about 10 minutes. They even gave me one of those cute "I Just Voted" stickers.

Other villagers who live in Ohio can do the same. All you need to do is go to your county board of elections office or designated early voting location during regular business hours. Additionally, some locations are open on the weekends.

Click here for more information about early voting , including locations and hours of early voting places.

Casting your ballot is the only way to ensure that we can keep building on the accomplishments of the past 20 months.

And early voting in Ohio is an easy process -- you can request an absentee ballot by mail, or vote in person at your county board of elections or other designated early voting location. Can you make a plan for when you'll vote? How will you cast your ballot, and when will be most convenient for you?

The ballot I cast in 2008 played a crucial role in bringing about the change this country needs. Now, I've tried to do the same in 2010.

Will Black and Hispanic Voters Turn Out for Democrats This Fall?

by Chris Good (The Atlantic)

African Americans and Hispanics are two important blocs in the Democratic voting coalition that helped elect President Obama in 2008, but will they turn out for Democratic House and Senate candidates in this fall's elections?


In his column for National Journal this week, elections guru Charlie Cook writes about the economy and the midterms and makes a significant point: Blacks and Hispanics have been hit disproportionately hard by the recession during the last two years, and subsequently they're less enthusiastic about voting in the November elections:

Among two of the most important groups in the Democratic coalition, things are much worse. The unemployment rate among African Americans was 12.6 percent the month President Obama was sworn into office but now stands at 15.6 percent. Among Hispanics, it was 9.7 percent when President Obama took over; it's 12.1 percent now. Among job seekers ages 16 to 19, unemployment has gone from 20.8 percent to 26.1 percent (unfortunately, there is no broader breakdown in unemployment numbers for young people). These are the groups that Democrats need to turn out in big numbers; little wonder that polling shows them with substantially lower interest levels than they had in November 2008. When Democrats lost their majorities in November 1994, the unemployment rate was 5.6 percent. When Republicans lost theirs in November 2006, unemployment was 4.5 percent. The latest Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey of 51 top economists reports a consensus unemployment forecast of the last quarter of this year to be 9.5 percent -- the most optimistic of the individual forecasters projected a 9.2 percent rate, the most pessimistic 9.9 percent. The consensus forecast for economic growth in the third quarter was that it would remain the same as has been reported for the second quarter, 2.4 percent, with the fourth quarter little better, 2.7 percent -- simply not enough to generate meaningful job growth.

The lack of a speedy economic recovery figures to hurt Democrats this fall, but the disproportionate jobless rates of African Americans and Hispanics could make the economy's impact on Democratic majorities even more acute.

Two factors that may combat this effect: Obama's popularity among Black voters and the intensity of the immigration debate. In December 2009, as Obama's approval ratings hovered around the 50% mark amid the messy health care debate, 9 in 10 African Americans still approved of him. And after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, heated immigration rhetoric on the right and the Justice Department's lawsuit against Arizona may win points for Democrats among Hispanics, despite the fact that Congress will almost certainly not be able to pass comprehensive immigration reform before next year's session.

Today, It's Time to Commit to Vote

We received the following message from President Barack Obama:

---

Friend --

Eighteen years ago, shortly after graduating from law school, I helped lead a voter registration campaign in Chicago that generated record turnout on Election Day.

That experience taught me one of the most important lessons I ever learned as a community organizer: When people promise that they'll do something -- like voting -- they are far more likely to do it.

That's why one key part of our Vote 2010 plan this year is to get folks like you from across the country to commit to vote, to make sure we get as many people as we can to cast their ballots this fall.

But getting the commitments we need starts with your own promise to make it to the polls and cast your ballot.

Will you please commit to vote in the 2010 elections?

Over the next 82 days, volunteers across the country will spend countless hours calling voters and knocking on their doors, asking them the same question.

And you can bet that I am counting on you to join them in talking to voters in your community.

This election offers a stark choice. We Democrats are hard at work trying to move America forward, repairing a decade of damage and growing an economy based on the Main Street values of hard work and responsibility.

We've fought for and won historic reforms to our health care system, a victory 100 years in the making, and to Wall Street, the most sweeping overhaul of the financial system since the Great Depression.

But after years of policies that landed us in the worst recession since the 1930's, the Republicans who got us there have not come up with anything different from the policies of George W. Bush.

We simply cannot afford to go backwards or let them repeal our reforms. And making sure we can continue moving forward starts with your own promise to cast your ballot in these elections.

Please commit to vote this fall:

http://my.barackobama.com/Commitment

Thank you,
President Barack Obama

---

What say u? Are you making a commitment to vote in November 2010?

Obama Wants First-Time Voters in 2008 to Vote Again in 2010 Elections

It appears that the Democrats are going to try to counter the usual losses that occur in an off-year election by reaching out to the 15 million voters that supported President Obama's election in 2008. There were many young people, Blacks and Latinos that voted for the first time in 2008. The question is whether or not these same first-time voters will be inspired to vote again in November 2010.

Here is the recruitment pitch from President Obama:




What do you think about this strategy? Will it work?

Absentee Voting for Primary Election (Franklin County, Ohio)

Absentee voting for the May 4, 2010 primary election is underway with the start of in-person voting at the Franklin County Board of Elections and the mailing of absentee ballots to voters who’ve applied to vote from home.

Absentee voting hours at the board of elections will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through May 3 and on Saturday May 1 from 8 a.m. to noon.

More than 30,000 have requested absentee ballots by mail since applications were sent to some 600,000 active voters last month.

Some key dates to remember:

• Voters have until May 1 to request a ballot by mail or until May 3 to ask for one in person at the board of elections.
• Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than the May 3 and returned to the board of elections by May 14.

Absentee ballot applications are also available on the board’s Web site. The site also includes copies of sample ballots for each precinct and Election Day polling locations that registered voters can find by entering their name and home address.

For more information:

Ben Piscitelli
Franklin County Board of Elections
(614) 462-5351
bjpiscit@franklincountyohio.gov