People of Color - Barriers to Voting
Delivered June 12, 2020. Contributor: Mariana D.
Goals
To gather information on the most popular obstacles that people of color are facing in the US when it comes to voting. The information will be used to help improve elections and make sure everyone gets access to vote.
Early Findings
- According to a study conducted by The Atlantic, 9% of black people and another 9% of Hispanics stated that they, or someone they lived with, had been told that "they lacked the proper identification to vote," while about 10% of black people and 11% of Hispanics were told that they weren’t listed on voter rolls."
- Also, 15% of black people and 14% of Hispanics "had trouble finding polling places on Election Day."
- This study's findings suggest that people of color are twice as likely as white people to be unable to get time off work for voting.
- According to a USA Today analysis, election officials have closed thousands of polling places that affected communities of color. In Chicago’s Cook County, for example, 95 polling places were closed by administrators.
- Another barrier is the curtailing of early voting, which especially affects communities of color.
- As small district elections have higher representation for people of color, "some officials create at-large districts to limit the influence of minority communities."
- Documentary proof of citizenship requirements, such as US birth certificate, US passport, or US naturalization documents, also affect minorities when voting, including communities of color.
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