Acknowledging the Apathetic Voter: Black Non-voting and Racial Group Apathy

Dissertation Abstract:

“No vote, no voice” is a common sentiment expressed among the Black community

surrounding political participation. However, this rhetoric leaves members of the Black

electorate who do not feel their political gains are being met by the current political system out

of the discussion. These same individuals proved pivotal for the sudden decrease in Presidential

turnout amongst Black individuals in the 2016 Presidential elections as well for this dissertation.

Specifically, I seek to provide a modern profile of Black non-voters and posit a theory of racial

group apathy that explains a potential increase in Black non-voting in future presidential

elections. This theory pulls from other theories in political science like political interest, external

efficacy, and political apathy, while also considering how relationships between the Black

electorate and political participation function. I also employ conceptualizations of apathy from

psychology scholars as well as Black nihilism from scholars of Black political thought. To

further explore this phenomenon, I ask three research questions: 1) What is the status of Black

voting and non-voting in 2020? 2) What is the effect of vote capture on Black political

participation? 3) How can a measure of racial group apathy aid in the understanding of Black

political participation? I engage with a quantitative approach to answer these research

questions, which includes pre-existing survey data, an original survey experiment, and a survey

testing a novel measure of racial group apathy. I contend that to remedy a potential rise of Black

non-voting, a new measure that encapsulates the psychological experience that Black voters are

facing. I propose a 7-point measure to best measure racial group apathy within this dissertation

for future research. Broadly, this dissertation seeks to advocate for those members of the Black

electorate who feel disillusioned by electoral politics and seek alternative avenues for political

engagement. Additionally, it seeks to serve as a nexus for Black political thought, psychology,

and political science to craft a space in academia where all members of the Black electorate

are better understood.

Reconciling Theories and Patterns in Black-White Voter Turnout Through A Mini Meta-Analysis 

Recent voter turnout data has revealed a consistent and growing turnout gap between Black and White Americans since the 2012 Presidential election. Scholars have attributed this gap to an increase in restrictive voting laws. However, few have considered the decreased effectiveness of long-standing models of political behavior on Black voter turnout as the American political landscape has shifted. This note seeks to uncover patterns in recent Presidential elections that display a lack of effectiveness of prominent voter turnout models for Black Americans due to disparate socializing experiences in a post-Obama context like voter suppression and a global pandemic. It employs models previously used by Leighley and Vedletz (1999) to evaluate and compare turnout models for Black and White individuals with mini-meta analysis. This paper utilizes the 2016 and 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-election Survey (CMPS) and the 2016 and 2020 American National Election Survey to establish models and measure their impact on Black and White voter turnout. I find support that prominent turnout models behave differently in a post-Obama context like income, length of residence, group consciousness, and group threat while some models behave differently for Black and white voters like political interest and political efficacy. These findings assert that new turnout models need to be established to better understand the Black electorate in a post-Obama context.