Want Black votes? Offer Black voters true empowerment.

polling Over the past few months, it has become clear that Black voters are ready to participate It will play a decisive role in the 2024 presidential election. Black voters are no longer an afterthought or simply a target audience. Their decision to vote Democrat, Republican, third party, or stay home will make the difference this November.

There are three things candidates and campaigns need to know as they develop strategies and investments to engage Black voters. First, to increase black political participation, it is necessary to increase black voters’ awareness of their own political power. Second, building Black political power requires deep investment and understanding. And third, these investments should be focused on grassroots organizations already living and working at the intersections of Black communities.

Despite the vital role Black voters play in the upcoming election, many polls treat them as monolithic, or worse, lump them into the broad category of “people of color.” ing.

we have Studied We have studied Black voters over the years, revealing differences and intersections among Black voters, not just by general demographic measures, but also by measures of Black voters’ values, beliefs, and political identity. Through this research, we divided Black voters into clusters to enable more thoughtful and strategically targeted mobilization and engagement.

One of the most interesting findings is that nearly a third of black voters fall into the “legitimately cynical” group. This reflects serious doubts about a system that ignores the interests of black voters. These are the black voters closest to the pain, those with the lowest incomes and lowest levels of education, and who lack trust in politicians and institutions that fail to bring about tangible change in their communities.

In a focus group in Florida, one young black man said: “What do any of these presidents have to do with me when I’m not getting any better under Obama and I’m getting worse under Trump?”

Another important segment of Black voters that we have identified is “Next Generation Optimists,” who make up about 20 percent of Black voters. These are young black voters with high levels of trust and efficacy, but who vote sporadically, largely due to lack of information.

For “legitimate cynics” and “next generation optimists,” who make up more than half of black voters, political power is not about electing a particular candidate. Political power is when their vote influences what is important to them and their communities.

For example, in November ohio cooperative organization We are the first group in the nation to apply our Black Voter Segmentation Study. They used this to build a sense of belonging among like-minded black voters, allowing them to feel and exercise power together. The collaboration brought together “the next generation of optimists” on college campuses and provided them with information about voting procedures. They also engaged with a group of “natural cynics” by hiring former inmates as precinct chiefs in the Cleveland area.

The results of the Ohio organizing group’s experiment are promising. 83% of black voters supported a ballot measure to ensure abortion rights, and 72% of black voters voted to legalize marijuana. These numbers were higher than turnout rates among voters from other backgrounds. In this scenario, the protagonist is not a politician but a voter.

At the root of political cynicism is a sense of helplessness. If you think your vote doesn’t matter and voting doesn’t change anything, it can lead to disillusionment and loss of interest. An early study conducted in 2020 found a direct relationship between Black people’s belief in their ability to make change and their level of civic engagement, including voting.

Black people vote when they feel empowered. Even though he feels powerless, he is not.

Spending millions of dollars on advertising, especially at the last moment, will not empower Black voters to make change with their votes. Instead, invest in Black-led power-building organizations that are already deeply engaged with local communities.

In Georgia, black supervoter, or people with a high propensity to vote, increased from 500,000 in 2018 to nearly 800,000 in 2022. This surprising increase is mainly due to new georgia project Efforts to reach out to voters are something traditional candidates and campaigns have overlooked. Groups like the New Georgia Project engage in high-quality conversations with voters throughout the year, connecting the dots between who gets elected and the impact on their daily lives, and helping voters find new We take the time to engage with voters by following up with access to resources. Their votes make it available whether an election is coming up or not.

Candidates who want to increase black political participation should consult the Ohio Organizing Cooperative, the New Georgia Project, Black Leadership Organization Community (BLOC) Located in Wisconsin, Michigan detroit action, florida faith and power interfaith in Pennsylvania.

Relying solely on voter databases sold by the political industry excludes millions of Black voters. Missing and incorrectly listed The database includes infrequent voters who cast decisive votes in close races, as well as new voters who can take advantage of same-day registration. in 22 statesincluding battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin.

Ultimately, candidates need to treat Black voters like sophisticated political agents. They need to understand the nuances and differences in black political thought and behavior. They will have to court and persuade them. And we need to start now, not after Labor Day.

Above all, they must get used to the fact that black people feel their power and are mobilizing that power to better their lives and the lives of all Americans.

Dr. Katrina Gamble is the founder and CEO of Sojourn Strategies. Terrance Woodbury is Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of HIT Strategies.