Black Voters Matter
Founded in 2016, Black Voters Matter (BVM) works to “increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities.” Voter registration and mobilization are the main focus of its work, but BVM also engages in policy advocacy, organization capacity-building and leadership development. A key way BVM accomplishes its mission is through regranting funds and providing other support to partner groups around the United States, including in places where only limited Black organizing infrastructure previously existed.
Why This Work is Important
Black voters play a critically important role in elections and are a pillar of the Democratic coalition. Black voter turnout can decide election outcomes in key states, most notably Georgia and North Carolina, but also in predominantly white battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Blacks make up a small share of the overall electorate but a significant part of the Democratic voting base. Black voters can also determine election outcomes in some of America’s biggest cities and in a number of competitive congressional districts.
Black voters still vote at lower levels than whites. While Black voter turnout has risen in recent decades, it remains well below white turnout, especially in midterm elections. Increasing Black voting is essential to ensuring a larger voice for Blacks in the policy decisions that affect their lives and creating a more representative democracy.
Black turnout has recently faltered in key states, along with support for Democrats. While Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in the recent election cycles, that support has been softening. Trump increased his support among Blacks by 3 points between 2016 and 2020, and Black support for Democrats fell again in 2022, including a drop of 6 points in the closely contested Wisconsin Senate race. Black voter turnout also declined between 2018 and 2022 in a number of states, such as North Carolina.
Why Donors Should Consider Black Voters Matter
BVM has a record of impact. Black Voters Matter has steadily increased its support of Black-led civic engagement groups in recent years, bolstering its capacity for voter engagement work and other activities. In 2022, BVM made $9.7 million in grants to 660 partner groups across 26 states. BVM also managed its own extensive voter engagement programs in 2020 and 2022, with a focus on key battleground states.
BVM’s partner model centers and leverages local organizing. While national groups are often faulted for parachuting into communities where they have few ties, BVM works to support and amplify the work of partner organizations around the country that are deeply connected to their communities already. Surveys of its partners found that BVM support increased their reach and effectiveness.
BVM effectively organizes Black voters by focusing on their needs. While many mainstream political institutions look at Black voters as a vehicle for their own advancement, BVM is focused on empowering the Black community as an end in itself. It organizes around issues of importance to Black voters, including voting rights and over-policing. It’s assisted with ballot measures that would have a disproportionate impact on the Black community, such as marijuana legalization in Missouri and the creation of a police oversight board in Akron, Ohio.
Conclusion
In less than a decade, Black Voters Matter has emerged as among the most effective organizations in the U.S. working to increase Black voter turnout and support the work of Black-led organizing groups. BVM’s work has only become more important as Black turnout has faltered in some places and Black support for Democrats has softened. Grassroots organizing and GOTV work are essential strategies for turning around these trends. Donors can choose to support BVM’s work by giving to the Black Voters Matter Fund, a 501(c)(4), or the Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, a 501(c)(3).