Voters in more than a dozen states headed to the polls on Super Tuesday, with more primaries taking place in the weeks since. Both President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have clinched their respective party nominations.

Unfortunately, the perceived lack of primary election competition for the presidential race has meant a lackluster turnout among voters in many states, including California. 

Encouraging all voters to turn out for the remaining primaries is sure to be a challenge, but incredibly important, particularly for voters of color and young voters who historically participate in elections at low rates.

This turnout trend was analyzed in a new CID national study unveiled at the Center’s Washington D.C. conference held in late January. The report confirmed significantly lower turnout among people of color relative to their population gains, when compared to white, non-Latino voters.

Despite significant population gains between 2010 and 2020 of 35% for Asian Americans, 23% for Latinos and 6% for Blacks—percentages that outpaced white, non-Latinos, whose numbers fell by 2%—voters of color in the U.S. continue to be underrepresented in the electorate, casting a smaller share of votes proportional to their share of the eligible voter population.

Helping to narrow this “voter representation gap” will be critical in the 2024 elections. There are millions of eligible non-voters of color who, if mobilized, could have a transformative and immediate impact on election outcomes at all levels of government in their communities. More investment needs to be made to reach and engage these voters if we are to achieve a truly inclusive electorate.

In partnership,

Mindy Romero

Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy

Read the CIDstudy, press release or watch to the conference’s voter turnout discussions here.

Fostering a deeper understanding about the importance of election participation and engagement in our democracy among youth has always been at the heart of CID’s mission and goals.

To that end, CID is excited to announce our 2024 CID spring undergraduate internship cohort. Our CID internship program reflects CID’s on-going commitment to provide students with hands-on experience working on research that has an immediate and tangible impact on civic engagement and the democracy landscape.

This spring’s interns from USC were selected in a competitive process, and will be contributing to projects in collaboration with CID mentor-researchers.

Please welcome:

• Saloni Mahajan
• Major: Public Policy
• USC Price School of Public Policy 
• Class of 2026

• Duncan Law
• Major: Public Policy 
• USC Price School of Public Policy 
• Class of 2024 and 2025

• Aishat Tiamiyu 
• Major: Public Policy 
• USC Price School of Public Policy 
• Class of 2025

The CID internship selection process was led by our Internship Coordinator Eleanor Love, a former student intern with our Center. CID interns receive compensation and can also earn academic credit.

Election 2024: Democracy in the Crosshairs?

On March 5, CID Director Mindy Romero moderated the USC Price School Holt Lecture focused on the contentiousness of the 2024 elections and the state of U.S. democracy. Guest panelists were two of America’s most well-known political consultants, Bob Shrum and Reince Priebus.

Election Matters 2024: Current Challenges to Election Administration

CID Director Mindy Romero was among the featured speakers at this University of Wisconsin event discussing the ongoing challenges facing election administrators, including the increasing pressure and scrutiny to deliver results both fast and accurately, and what potential solutions might be. 

Climate at the Crossroads

In celebration of Earth Day, the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability and the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future in collaboration with POLITICO are hosting a series of conversations around advancing climate change issues. CID is a partner on the event.

Thursday, April 4, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. PT

New PPIC Report: Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered?

By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, and Mindy Romero

In recent years, new voter registration and voter address updates have surged—due largely to California’s new process for automatic voter registration. But registration reforms have not significantly diversified the electorate, and the state may need to do more to engage newly registered voters.

Report: Growing Racial Disparities in Voter Turnout, 2008-2022

This new study by the Brennan Center for Justice reports that the turnout gap between white and nonwhite voters in the U.S. is growing fastest in jurisdictions that were stripped of a federal civil rights-era voting protection a decade ago. The study measures the impact of the Shelby County decision between 2012 and 2022.

REPORT: Trends from 2023's Legislative Sessions

Included in this new report from the League of Women Voters is a rundown of laws in 2023 impacting a variety of policy areas, including a section on voting rights and voting accessibility, whether that be through voter ID requirements, absentee ballot changes or other electoral processes. 

RESOURCE: Protections against election disinformation

The Movement Assessment Project (MAP)’s newest map tracks state election laws and policies, and creates a detailed roadmap of how states can optimize civic engagement and protect the security, integrity and independence of U.S. elections. 

Election disinformation takes a big leap with AI being used to deceive worldwide

Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone and a devious imagination to create fake – but convincing – content aimed at fooling voters in the U.S., Europe and Asia. 

Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth

The Alliance’s mission is to educate the public about reparations. Read about and get updates on their efforts around reparations in California. Sign Up for Updates.  

USA Today

In this article commemorating the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer – a pivotal movement that spurred civil rights activism across the U.S. – CID’s Romero notes California’s long history of underrepresentation at the polls among voters of color. “Historically, California has had some of the largest gaps in voter turnout between white voters and voters of color, often ranking near the bottom among states,” she said. 

ABC (Sacramento)

This ABC story includes information from CID’s most recent national turnout report, featuring data evidence of an entrenched voter representation gap across nearly all U.S. elections. "Eligible voters of color have substantial potential to hold greater influence over the outcomes of local and national elections by simply turning up at the polls,” said Mindy Romero.

KPBS



A generation after the National Voter Registration went into effect, advocates continue to search for ways to boost voter rolls. The story interviews CID’s Romero and cites the Center’s research on the California’s Motor Voter’s law, which found that DMV voter registration has become one of the top registration methods for Asian-American, Latino, and Black registrants registering for the first time or updating their registration.

KQED

Most people don't vote in primaries, and KQED wanted to explore how that might be changed. Reporter Ericka Cruz Guevarra at the Bay talked with CID’s Romero about the consequences of low primary turnouts, and how to get more people to vote.