Early Voting Data Shows Women of Color Voting in Historic Numbers

Diana Hwang

Election Day is tomorrow -- and we are fired up.  We’ve analyzed early voting data from Catalist, and while so many things about the election are uncertain, this is not: In critical swing states, women of color have been showing up to vote early in historic numbers.  These are states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan where we are the margin of victory, and states like Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida that are now ONLY in play because of women of color. 

Already, in these seven crucial battleground states that will decide the election, almost 4 million women of color have voted early.  At the same time in 2016, a little over 2 million women of color had voted.  The number of women of color voting in this election has almost doubled. That. is. Incredible.  

• In Michigan where Trump won by 10,000 votes in 2016, 159,000 more women of color have voted over this time in 2016 - a 281% increase.  

• In Wisconsin where Trump won by 23,000 votes, 49,000 more women of color have voted over this time in 2016 - a 144% increase. 

• In Florida where Trump won by 113,000 votes, 331,000 more women of color have voted over this time in 2016 - a 43% increase.  

And - get ready for this - in the once reliably red states of Texas, Arizona and Georgia, the growing women of color electorate and high women of color turnout are making these states winnable.  

• In Georgia where Trump won by 211,000 votes, 258,000 more women of color have already voted - a 69% increase.  

• In Arizona where Trump won by 91,000 votes, 65,000 more women of color have already voted -  a 42% increase from 2016.  

• In Texas where Trump won by 807,000 votes, 772,000 more women of color have already voted this year - and it’s not even Election Day yet, when our communities traditionally vote in person.

Pennsylvania, in particular, shows women of color voting in full force. In a state where there essentially was no early voting before this year, over 175,000 women of color have already voted.  Trump won this state by 44,000 votes and in 2016, 268,000 eligible women of color did not vote that year.  That’s six times the gap.  This election is different: Women of color are turning out to vote at a higher rate than the entire state.  AAPI women, in particular, are turning out at a 22% higher rate than average turnout across Pennsylvania and Black women at an 8% higher rate.

The momentum is fueling us because, in these final hours, we are not taking our foot off the gas.  Over the last three weeks, in partnership with Democracy for America, we have texted over 1.7 million women of color in swing states to get them out to vote.  They are mostly “low propensity” voters, women of color who rarely vote because, for a very long time, no one prioritized them.  But we do.  We have layered on a sustained digital campaign over the last several months that has reached another 2.4 million women of color voters.  And, we have recruited volunteers for our on-the-ground partners like New Florida Majority, Texas Organizing Project, New Georgia Project, Freedom Inc (Wisconsin), Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (Michigan) and One Arizona who have texted and called another 445,000 women of color and people of color voters in critical swing states. 

We are not done yet.  We will be texting-out-the-vote to these critical, “high potential” women of color voters in all of our swing states on Election Day, ensuring we speak to them at least three to four times before polls close Tuesday.  We need your help! Sign up to volunteer with us here.  We’re showing up and showing out until the very end. 

Diana Hwang is the Political and Organizing Director at She the People.