How African-Americans influence American Presidential Election?
Name: Tao Huaying Student ID：s07370
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Seku Conde
Minzu University of China
2007-2008 Academic Year
Abstract: This paper is trying to give a view about performances and functions of African-Americans in American presidential election. It consists three parts .The first part is a brief introduction about the history of African-Americans and their voting rights. The second part is the content about “How African-Americans influence American Presidential Election?” I will discuss my essay in the following four aspects: （1）The political participation of African-American voters and their turnout; （2） The function of Organizations and groups of African-Americans in presidential election; （3）The relationship between African-American voters and the victory of America presidents;（4）Performances of the African-American presidential competitors and candidates in American politics. The final part is the Conclusion in which I will give my opinion about how African-Americans influence American Presidential Election.
Keywords: African-American, vote, candidates, presidential election
Ⅰ.Introduction
History of African-Americans and their voting rights in America
The history of African-Americans in the United States began in 1619 when a Dutch ship brought the first group of slaves from Africa to the shores of North America. Of all ethnic groups, African-Americans were the only ones to arrive on these shores against their will. African-Americans always have a relationship with American politics from they landed on North American Continent and been bought and sold by Europeans as slavery .After several hundreds of years’ fight with the white, African-Americans gained more and more human rights ,respects and equality. As a result, their social and political status is enhanced remarkably. For example, the abolishment of the slavery system brought African-Americans freedom and basic human rights. And then, black leaders such as Martin Luther King.Jr have launched several social movements to protect their human rights especially voting right. These movements have significant and deep influences on American politics.
The Voting Rights Act in 1965 designed to protect the rights of African-Americans and other American citizens to vote. To some degree, the passage of it guarantees African-American’s voting rights in the forms of law. The proper use of the voting rights act protects and enhances voting rights, which affects the opportunities for African-Americans to achieve maximum political participation on the national level .As we know; African-Americans have more and more important influences on American politics life. The voting rights act has been an important and necessary force in the empowerment of African-American voters, and therefore it helped to increase the attention given to African-Americans issues by leaders in the political system.
However, there are still some modern barriers to voting rights in American presidential election for Ordinary African-Americans. Intentional African-American voter disenfranchisement still has happened in American in recent years. For instance, in 2002 elections in Maryland, flyers distributed in African-American communities listed the wrong day for elections and started parking tickets, overdue rent, etc., had to be paid before persons would be eligible to vote. And Republicans in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on Election Day in 2003 stationed vote challengers in the black precincts of Louisville and did the same in the fall 2004 presidential election. [1] Especially Republic party often suppresses the African-Americans voter. Obviously，there still exists racial discrimination among the African-Americans in election .
Ⅱ. How African-Americans influence the American Presidential Election?
ⅰ. African-American voters and its relationship with democracy
1. African-American voters have made great progress in political participation and African-American voters turnout continued to close the gap with white voter turnout in recent years.
According to survey statistics, the population of African-Americans is about 3.6 millions and 12.3 percent in America[2]. In the 1998 elections African-Americans constituted 10 percent of the total electorate .In general, as a total of the electorate, the black voters’ account of 9 percent in 1994 and 11 percent in 1998.In the 2000 election cycle, African-American voter turnout grew to 50 percent from 37 percent in 1996, an increase of 13 percentage points. African-American voter turnout continued to close the gap with white voter turnout, moving from 2.9 percent less than whites in 2000 to 1.4 percent less in 2004. The difference in actual voting between White and African Americans declined from a high point of 12.2 percent in 1972 to 2.9 percent in 2000. [3]
Hence, African-American voters as an entire power, compare to the past presidential election, they have made great progress in political participation. More and more African Americans are aware of their interests and take practice actions to participate in presidential election in recent years.
2. African-American voters and their relationship with Democracy.
As we know, presidential candidates in Democratic Party are always paid much attention on interests of vulnerable groups, Such as minority, old, women, disable and handicaps. So Democracy is popular with African- American. African-Americans have followed their natural interests in supporting the Democratic Party .To some degree; we might say that the relationship between African-American voters and Democracy is harmony. The African-American voters for Democracy increased from 81 percent in 1994 to 88 percent in 1998. The impact of the African-American voters was described in an analysis by cable television station MSNBC which said the following: Black voters helped lead Democratic southern candidates and a New York Senate candidate to victory in Tuesday’s elections. African-Americans in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina supported winning Democratic candidates. [4]
On contrary, the policy of Republican Party always pays little or no attention to the interest of African-Americans. For example, Republican candidates do not agree to support the "affirmative plan". But the “affirmative plan” is good for the majority of African-Americans .As a response to that, African-Americans also pay little attention to the future of Republican Party and its presidential candidates. Less African-American really care about Republican Party .In other words, African-Americans always care about their interests and followed with Democracy.
In fact, at the very beginning, the situation didn’t like this. However, come back to the history, we will found that in the past years, African-Americans were very grateful to Republicans in the North for they liberated them in the Civil War. The African-Americans who got the voting right had been vote for Republicans as reward. They have been maintained the tradition of vote for Republican for many years. Republicans occupied most of the presidential positions after the Civil War. The victories of Republicans for many years maybe have much to do with the support from African-Americans. However, Republicans were not very concerned about the substantial interests of African-Americans. Hence, until Roosevelt's New Deal, African-Americans began to change their voting choice to support the Democratic candidates. This shift is mainly due to the Democratic Party more concerned about the interests of African-Americans and other racial minorities, the lower and middle class citizens in United States than the Republican Party.
For example, in the 1988 presidential election, although Democratic candidate Dukakis lost to Republican candidate George W. Bush, the results showed that 92 percent of the African-Americans votes for the Democratic candidate Dukakis, only eight percent of African-American Voters supports the Republican candidate Bush.[5] Thus, the strong support from African-Americans to Democracy is important for the consolidation of Democracy’ status.
As a result, Republican candidates have received less than 10 percent African-American vote in the past forty years except 1996. According to a survey statistics, Republican Presidential Candidate Bob dole subsequently received 12 percent of the African-American vote in 1996, but still losing to President Clinton. The average vote for Republican Presidential Candidates has never exceeded 12 percent. [6]Comparable surveys in past elections had generally found African-American intent to vote for the Democracy presidential nominee at least 10 points higher one month before the election.[7]Obviously，African-Americans’ great support for Democracy play an important influence on the victory of Democracy President.
ⅱ. The role of African-Americans Organizations and groups
1. Organizations and groups of African-Americans prompt presidential election reform.
In order to realize their interests and assist in achieving the policy goals of the African-American community, increase bargaining to negotiation with parties or presidential candidates, African-Americans united to a series of organizations and institutions to participate in presidential elections. Several influential organizations are The National Black Leadership Roundtable, The Black Leadership Forum, The National Coalition on Black Voter Participation (NCBVP) and so on. For example, The black leadership Forum originally supported the idea of a black presidential candidacy in 1983 and legitimized the candidacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson. [8]
As an institutional force, these organizations or groups are operating political bargaining to influence the presidential election by focus on improving black voter turnout and controlling black vote. African-Americans’ organizations or groups and its politicians use the African-American vote as an attractive political resource to bargaining with Democracy candidates for the acceptance of the African-American agenda of survival and development issues.
2. African-American organizations conducted mass demonstrations to protest the suppression of the African-American vote.
The United States is a country full of democracy, freedom and equality, but racial discrimination still exists in this country. The evidences of inequality are African-Americans in the election were discrimination and resistance. The tremendous growth of the African-American vote and its impact on presidential politics made the majority such as whites felt they were endangered. So they took some strategies to weaken voting rights of African-Americans [...]
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