The Congressional Black Caucus Institute launches initiative to engage rural Black voters for midterms

Black federal lawmakers launched a multimillion-dollar effort called “SO VOTE” to register and mobilize low-propensity young voters from majority-Black and rural communities across the South, Midwest and West.

The effort launched on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and was developed by The Congressional Black Caucus Institute. The goal of the campaign is to reach Black and brown communities who are often “sidestepped” by major political parties, reports Matt Brown for the Mississippi Free Press.

“SO VOTE” comes after years of “disappointment and frustration among some in the Black Caucus at the broader Democratic Party’s efforts to court Black, rural and younger voters.” The initiative may be in response to Republican redistricting in multiple states, said Mississippi Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson.

Officially, “SO VOTE” is a nonpartisan engagement effort. Still, the Black Caucus targets regions “where Black voter turnout could prove key to whether a Democratic candidate prevails in closely divided House districts,” Brown writes.

The Black Caucus plans to spend $4.5 million in the midterm election cycle, having already raised nearly $1 million toward blending old engagement tactics with new technology. Outreach in rural, minority communities will be conducted in-person and online; campaigns will convene at local civic groups, churches, sororities and fraternities, and will utilize content creators and geo-targeting ads.

“These Southern states are trying to minimize Black political participation and ultimately Black political strength,” Thompson said. “So what we have to do is take that low-propensity voter and elevate their participation so they become an additional voice to be reckoned with.”