Img source: thehill.com
June 07, 2024 Story by: Editor
Last October, the nonprofit organization Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement launched a door-to-door campaign and sent emails and text messages to encourage North Omaha residents to register to vote.
The group also held voter registration events with the ambitious goal of registering 15,000 new voters in Legislative Districts 11 and 13 for the 2024 election cycle. Additionally, they aimed for a 60 percent turnout for the primary and a 70 percent turnout in the general election.
Since the campaign’s inception, the Douglas County Election Commission reported that these districts saw 1,475 new registered voters. The turnout for the primary, however, was just 21.6 percent.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Pastor T. Michael Williams, board chair of Black Votes Matter. “I think the community needs to be further engaged, certainly.”
Comparing May’s turnout to the 2020 Presidential Primary is challenging due to 2021 redistricting changes, according to the county election commission.
The May primary was the first statewide election following the implementation of the new voter ID law. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen noted the turnout was lower than expected statewide. However, Williams believes the new law had little impact on North Omaha.
“I do not think that was a problem with this election, but I do think it created more work for groups like Black Votes Matter and the League of Women Voters,” Williams said. He attributes the low turnout more to the current political climate. “There’s so much division in our country that people are turned off by it, making them less engaged.”
Despite the challenges, there were positive aspects. The overall county turnout for the primary was 26.8 percent, and North Omaha’s turnout was not far behind.
“Those two legislative districts that we’re focusing on usually vote 10-12 percent below the county average,” Williams explained. “So if the county is at 40 percent, they’re usually at 30 or 28. That percentage gap diminished, and we’re glad about that. That’s a positive, and we want to keep working to get the districts voting at the same rate as the full Douglas County turnout, at least.”
Even though the May primary turnout did not meet their goals, Williams remains committed to achieving a 70 percent turnout in the general election. To reach this target, the organization plans to increase the number of people going door-to-door and hold more voter registration events.
“We’re going to multiply the number of people going out doing that,” Williams said. “We’re also going to have a series of events for voter registration as well.”
Black Votes Matter intends to have a full plan ready in the next couple of weeks. Source: 6 News WOWTFor those interested in volunteering with Black Votes Matter’s efforts, send an email to pastorhawkins@weareantiochomaha.org.
