This week, the Arizona House Committee on Government and Higher Education unanimously passed HB 2226, making Juneteenth a State holiday. HB 2226 establishes June 19 of each year as Juneteenth Day.
However, due to low involvement in Arizona’s political process, it is unclear whether black votes will matter. The personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s States with the Highest Political Engagement Among Blacks.
According to the group, black Americans are more inclined in some states than in others to fulfill their civic duty by participating in the democratic process. And though various theories attempt to rationalize trends in blacks’ voting behaviors, simply identifying where on the map this group is most politically active — and therefore likely to maximize its electoral clout — helps to put this election year and racial-gap issues into context.
To determine where black Americans are most engaged in the political process, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 48 states across six key metrics. They include black voter turnout and registration during the most recent midterm and presidential elections as well as the proportional representation of blacks in the state legislature and national party conventions.
Political Engagement of Blacks in Arizona (1=Most Politically Engaged; 24=Avg.)
• 45th – Black Voter Turnout (2012 Presidential Election)
• 36th – Black Voter Turnout (2014 Midterm Elections)
• 43rd – Black Voter Registration (2012 Presidential Election)
• 24th – Black Voter Registration (2014 Midterm Elections)
• 23rd – Proportional Representation of Blacks in State Legislature
• 1st – Proportional Representation of Blacks in National Party Conventions
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Overall Rank | State | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | 75.18 | 38 | New Mexico | 44.16 |
| 2 | Ohio | 74.17 | 39 | Rhode Island | 44.15 |
| 3 | Mississippi | 73.95 | 40 | Oklahoma | 42.29 |
| 4 | Michigan | 73.07 | 41 | Washington | 42.11 |
| 5 | Missouri | 72.98 | 42 | Arizona | 41.93 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 72.58 | 43 | Tennessee | 39.51 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 71.74 | 44 | North Dakota | 38.89 |
| 8 | Maryland | 71.60 | 45 | South Dakota | 37.14 |
| 9 | Texas | 70.08 | 46 | Alaska | 36.30 |
| 10 | Illinois | 69.90 | 47 | West Virginia | 36.26 |
For the full report, visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/where-are-blacks-most-least-politically-engaged/19026/
In both 2008 and 2012, black voters turned out at the polls at unprecedented numbers, helping to secure the election and reelection of the first black president in the Oval Office. Barack Obama owed much of his presidency to this demographic, granting him more than 90 percent of their vote during each election cycle and even <a href=”http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/08/six-take-aways-from-the-census-bureaus-voting-report/” target=”_blank”>outvoting whites</a> for the first time in 2012.
This year, black voters will account for <a href=”https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2015/01/06/101605/the-changing-face-of-americas-electorate/” target=”_blank”>more than 12 percent</a> of the national electorate, but whether they’ll repeat history remains an <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/11/how-black-voters-could-determine-the-2016-election/” target=”_blank”>unpredictable</a> outcome.
What’s certain, however, is that black Americans are more inclined in some states than in others to fulfill their civic duty by participating in the democratic process. And though various theories attempt to <a href=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajps.12172/epdf” target=”_blank”>rationalize</a> trends in blacks’ voting behaviors, simply identifying where on the map this group is most politically active — and therefore likely to maximize its electoral clout — helps to put this election year and racial-gap issues into context.
In honor of Black History Month and with presidential primaries in full swing, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 48 states across six key metrics that speak to the level of black political engagement. The data set includes black voter turnout and registration during the most recent presidential and midterm elections as well as the proportional representation of blacks in the state legislature and national party conventions.