Impact of COVID on New Voter Registrations among Racial Minorities in the South

• In Event: Electoral and Voter Behavior

Abstract

During the 2020 presidential election, the media reported that the pandemic was negatively impacting the registration of new voters. Social distancing and the closing of public agencies, which typically register minority voters, meant that many were unable to register to vote. Civic organizations were not able to conduct the usual voter registration drives, and DMVs and public agencies were not readily available to automatically register individuals conducting transactions there. This is likely to have reduced new voter registration rates among racial and ethnic minorities, who benefit from these venues. This paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the implementation of Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Section 7 requires states to offer voter registration opportunities in public agencies. The closing of these locations likely affected the registration of new racial and ethnic minority voters. Using voter file data from Florida and North Carolina, I look at the impact of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths on the difference in the registration rates from 2016 to 2020 of new minority voters at the county level. Findings show that registration rates for African Americans and Hispanics declined from their 2016 levels.

Author

• Vanessa Perez, Queens College, CUNY