Ahead of the Majority: Foregrounding Women of Color
AAPI Civic Engagement Fund and Groundswell Fund collaborate on a groundbreaking new report
Ahead of the Majority is the story of women of color (not just women or voters of color) taking center stage. The report combines original data with existing data sources to analyze the 2018 Election through an intersectional lens. It offers important insights into women of color’s voting behavior, policy preferences, and impact in the most recent election. It spotlights the unprecedented mobilization of women of color in the 2018 midterms and how this increasing participation demonstrates the influential role of women of color in setting policy through civic engagement.
Key Findings
Women of color were central to the massive 2018 Midterm turnout
- Overall turnout in 2018 increased by a massive 30 million voters from 2014, representing a 33% increase. Most significantly, turnout among women of color increased 37% with AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) women showing up to the polls at an increase of 48%, Black women at 28%, and Latinas at 51%.
Turnout in the 2018 Midterm was fueled by women of color mobilizing friends and family
- Most women voters in 2018 talked to and encouraged friends and family to vote. Black women led the way with 84% mobilizing friends and family, followed by 76% of AAPI women, 72% of Native American women, 70% of Latinas, and 66% of white women.
Mobilization in 2018 was unprecedented for a Midterm
- Voters in 2018 were contacted to register and turnout at rates comparable to, if not exceeding, mobilization in presidential election years. The rates of being contacted were the lowest for white Americans (just 32% for white men) and the highest among African Americans (55%) and AAPIs (54%).
People of color engaged voters beyond the ballot box
- An extraordinarily high estimate of 1 of 8 Americans engaged in protest politics in 2018. Participation in protests was highest among Black men (24%), Native American women (21%), Native American men (18%), and Asian American Pacific Islander women (17.5%).
Report
As we look to 2020, Ahead of the Majority tells us that, as women of color grow in numbers, it would be strategic to situate them at the nexus and as the core constituency to motivate, influence, and persuade.
Infographics
Women of color are poised to play a pivotal role in the #2020Elections. Use the hashtags #AheadoftheMajority #FundWOC to spread the word.