Dr. Jason Johnson discussed increases in African-American voter turnout for a segment on NPR’s All Things Considered. The story examined a new Census Bureau survey of voters that showed that in 2012, black voters turned out at the polls at a higher rate than whites for the first time.
Click to listen to the story “Black Voters Turned Out At Greatest Rate For 2012 Election.”
WANG: Jason Johnson, a political scientist at Hiram College in Ohio, says he’s not surprised by today’s census findings. In 2012, African-Americans voted at a greater rate than any other racial or ethnic group. Two-thirds of eligible black voters went to the polls, according to the Census Bureau. That’s more than white voters at 64 percent. But Johnson warns that it wasn’t just because 2012 was an opportunity to re-elect America’s first black president.
JOHNSON: Black people aren’t turning out in these high numbers just because they like Obama. Goodness, if you look at the unemployment numbers during his first term, there would be every reason for people to not vote for him.