The fight this election season became personal, as African Americans in Ohio did everything in their power to preserve the vote, a right that was denied to past generations.
Two weeks ago, many African Americans in Ohio rushed to voting sites to exercise their right to vote. Many reacted with happiness as they watched President Obama get the necessary votes needed for re-election to a second term. African Americans made it their business to go to the polls to vote in spite of the state’s voter –ID bill that was passed last year, but still pending.
According to Ron Brownstein, editorial director of National Journal, “Obama took Ohio by focusing on income equality and fairness, a strategy that attracted enough working class whites and Blacks to swing the election”.
Many politicians believed that the voter-ID bill would allow former governor Mitt Romney to win the state. However, they were proven wrong when the Black community started a movement that protected their vote.
African-Americans account for 12 percent of Ohio’s population and Ohio made up 15 percent of its electorate in November, a jump from 11 percent in 2008.
Read more at National Journal. [3]