The Electoral Impact of Racial Reckoning: The Implications of Candidates' Support for Reparations on Voter Engagement in Detroit
NOVEMBER 2022
BY ERYKAH BENSON AND JASMINE SIMINGTON
INTRODUCTION
Voting has long been considered a pillar of political engagement in a democratic society and one strategy among many in the fight for racial justice. However, an increasingly polarized America, alongside a rise in inequality and voter suppression, stands to threaten beliefs about electoral politics as an effective tool for racial justice. A closer alignment between voter preferences and the policies promoted by candidates might strengthen political trust, increase voter turnout, and in the long run, reduce racial inequality.
In this report, reparations are defined as some form of payment to Black Americans to counter the impact of slavery and discriminatory policies. Our analysis finds most Detroiters intend to vote in the upcoming election, but those who are uncertain about voting, or unlikely to vote, may be motivated to turn out this November by a candidate’s support for reparations. Young Black residents were particularly likely to say they would be more likely to vote as a result of a candidate’s support for reparations.
Altogether these descriptive findings highlight important connections between voting behavior and support for a reparations policy in the upcoming November election, and more broadly, a general desire for reparations in some form. Given that Detroit is one of the most populous parts of Michigan, their priorities are critical to the outcomes of not only local races, but various state and federal electoral outcomes as well.
KEY FINDINGS
- A majority of eligible voters in Detroit (65%) intend to vote in the upcoming election. However, over one third of eligible voters (35%) are not sure about voting.
- There is broad support in Detroit for reparations for Black Americans in Detroit. Sixty-three percent of Detroiters would support a reparations policy for Black Americans.
- A candidate’s support for reparations would mobilize voters - many of whom are currently on the fence about voting. Thirty-seven percent of Detroiters who said they would not vote in the upcoming election reported that a candidate’s support for reparations would make them more likely to vote. More than half of Detroiters (52%) who said they would probably vote said a candidate’s support for reparations would make them more likely to vote.
- Young voters are particularly likely to be motivated to participate in the upcoming elections by candidate support for reparations. Forty-nine percent of Detroiters between the ages of 18 and 34 said they would be more likely to vote if a candidate spoke out in support of reparations.
Detroiters' Policy Priorities: What Matters to Detroiters Leading Up to the November 2022 Elections
NOVEMBER 2022
BY LYDIA WILEDEN AND MARA CECILIA OSTFELD
OVERVIEW
The report highlights Detroiters’ policy priorities leading up to the November 2022 elections.
This report is part of a series of reports highlighting findings from the most recent survey of the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) and supported by the Center for Racial Justice. The survey was fielded between June 16 and Aug. 26, 2022, and captures the views of a representative sample of 2,339 Detroit residents.
See full results from DMACS surveys here.
KEY FINDINGS
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While national attention has focused on the importance of inflation and crime in the November 2022 elections, the quality of K-12 schools is at least as likely to be considered a high priority among Detroit residents. Seventy-seven percent of Detroit residents indicate the quality of K-12 schools should be a high priority for elected officials.
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Nearly one out of every three eligible voters living in Detroit indicate some level of uncertainty about whether they will vote. These uncertain voters are most likely to list the quality of K-12 schools (78%), inflation (76%), affordable health care (74%), affordable housing (72%), and crime (71%) as a high priority.
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Black and White Detroiters diverge in the degree to which they feel elected officials should prioritize a number of issues. This divergence is most evident on the issues of rates of COVID-19, crime, the accessibility of high quality jobs, and policing reform, which Black Detroiters were far more likely to consider a top priority relative to White Detroiters.