Less than 40 percent of young Black voters say they will vote this year: Poll

A new poll has found that less than 40 percent of young Black voters are motivated to vote in November’s election. 

The poll, conducted by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda with PerryUndem and released on Monday, found that just 38 percent of Black voters between the ages of 18 and 29 said they are “almost certain” to vote in the fall. This number is in stark contrast to 59 percent of all respondents who said the same. 

A gender divide also cropped up in the poll. While 63 percent of Black men said they are “almost certain” to vote in November, 56 percent of Black women said the same.

While 54 percent of total respondents said voting in the 2024 elections is “extremely important, 48 percent of young Black voters lean away from thinking it’s important to vote this fall.

Twenty-five percent of young voters said they have considered withholding their vote as a form of protest. 

These voters identified the choice of candidates and issues such as the ongoing war in Gaza as reasons why they wouldn’t vote. Young voters were three times more likely than those 65 and older to strongly disapprove of how Biden has dealt with the Israel-Hamas war.

But if young Black voters don’t turn out, it could spell trouble for President Joe Biden, who relied heavily on Black voters in swing states to win the White House in 2020. 

The Biden-Harris campaign has been working to speak to Black voters. The campaign recently released two new ads, to air on Black-owned properties, highlighting the work the administration has done for Black voters. In February, ads the campaign released focused on investments made in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

But 48 percent of young voters have an unfavorable view of Biden, and 41 percent have an unfavorable view of Vice President Harris, according to the poll. 

Former President Trump has also been courting Black voters, specifically Black men. He has already hinted at choosing Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) or Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) as a running mate.

But Black voters in general disapprove of the former president even more than Biden and Harris. Sixty-six percent of Black voters said Trump’s policies negatively affected Black people.

Still, young Black voters are aware of the power of their vote. According to the poll, 72 percent of young voters feel the Black community has the power to change elections.

For those who are motivated to vote, nearly 25 percent identified that people’s rights and freedoms are at stake as a top reason. Their second reason was because people fought and died for the right to vote.

Young voters were clear about the issues at the top of their minds: lowering the cost of living and inflation, lowering taxes for the middle and lower classes, and making sure schools teach students about American history. 

In Our Own Voice’s Lives and Voices of Black Families in 2024 poll surveyed 1,005 Black adults between Jan. 22-27.