African Americans' expectations in the US polls

By Mazhun Idris

Unlike previous general elections, the 2024 US elections come along with heightened apprehensions, as Nicole a 25-year-old black woman in the Upper Midwest state of Wisconsin, believes.

"The election atmosphere is tense, both offline and on social media," the graduate student of University of Wisconsin Madison says.

Nicole adds that she "can't wait for the election season to end."

'Existential moment'

She expresses worry over her rights as a black woman, and has the same fears for people of colour across the nation.

This reflects the mood among some black voters and the larger minority population.

The seeming disillusionment of the African-American voting community may not be new or peculiar, as the two major presidential candidates portray the election as an "existential moment" for the US and its people.

The 2024 US presidential election on November 5 is the 60th presidential election in history. Millions of voters will elect the next president and vice president for a term of four years, starting January 2025.

Early voting

The nominees of the two major political parties are contesting to replace Joe Biden, the incumbent Democratic Party president, who withdrew from the race in July.

Vice President Kamala Harris is on the ballot for the Democrats along with Tim Walz, her running mate and the governor of Minnesota.

Donald Trump, the 45th US President who lost re-election in 2021, is running along with James David Vance, a senator from Ohio, to recapture the White House.

A day prior to the elections, more than 75 million people out of approximately 244 million voters have reportedly cast their ballots through early voting.

'Exceptionally close'

Different opinion polls have suggested that the race between Harris and Trump is "exceptionally close."

But even with the increased calls for electoral participation, there are fears among the black community on possible post-election targeting.

Nicole fears she may have to contend with people who might "feel emboldened to no longer hide their racism" after the 2024 poll outcome.

She however maintains strong faith in the electoral process.

'A candidate who helps all'

"I believe everyone should register to vote and make sure to vote for the candidate they believe will not only help them, but their neighbours and the country," Nicole says.

Statistics have shown that voting turnout rate among black voters is higher than among Latino and Asian voters. In 2024, the number of black eligible voters is projected to top 34.4 million, up by 7% from 2020 figures.

This is one of the reasons black voters are viewed as important in determining the outcome of the elections.

Presidential elections in the US have conventionally pitched Democratic and Republican candidates in a battle of parallel messaging, ranging on issues like the economy, health care, immigration, justice and tax reforms.

Global tensions

This year, the political fallout of rising global tensions over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have added an unrelenting fervor to the contest.

Washington, under Biden and Harris, has maintained an unrestricted support for Ukraine, and in contrast, condoned brutalities meted out on the Palestinian people by Israel.

Domestically, black Americans are never forgetting their history of constitutional and social struggles over voting rights.

This is a community that never had it easy in terms of the right to vote, since the time of founding country.

Racial justice reforms

Constitutionally, legal suffrage for all American citizens was only first defined in 1870.

And it took several constitutional amendments and acts of Congress to extend voting rights to African-American citizens of all genders, which culminated in the racial justice reforms of the 1960s.

Harris is seeking to become the first female president of the US.

A Trump victory, on the other hand, will mean the first former president to win after losing a re-election bid, since the 19th century.