On Prop 8, and scapegoats.
Nov. 8th, 2008 08:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumThe "black vote" didn't pass Prop 8.
We have a black population of about 6 percent. Assume they all voted, that's about 1.9 millon people. Assume all of them (whch isn't the case, but bear with me)are of voting age, and all of them voted, and the 70 percent of the black vote was pro 8 is true.
That's 1.3 million votes. Last I checked the prop was passing by about 500,000 votes. But... about 600,000 of those 1.9 million are under the age of 18. And, sadly, a large percentage of that population is in prison right now, and not eligible to vote. so we can lop another 190,000 votes (with a conservative estimate of 10 percent of black either in prison, or on parole).
That gives us about 750,000 votes, assuming (arguendo) all the blacks in the state who are eligible are registered.
The amendment is ahead by about 500,000 votes. Ok, if every black in the state voted no, then the amendment would be dead.
There are 17 million registered voters in Calif. The stats say black are registered at about the same rate as other groups, so we can probably figure they are registered at, call it 60 percent (because Obama was certainly something of an in-group identifier, much as a the home state of a national candidate is expected to have a larger turnout in their favor).
Take those votes we tallied up and adjust for that number.... 525,000.
So yes, the total number of votes which have it ahead is almost exactly equal to the black voting population.
But there are an awful lot of white folks who voted, and a lot of hispanics too.
My neighbors account for at least two of the vote for. They are white. A really small percentage shift of the white vote would have made the difference. The absentee ballots (which are not, traditionally, black, but rather white folks) aren't reversing the trend.
The whole of the polity voted, the whole of the polity takes the rap. The white folks (and it was a whole lott a white folks spending the money to flood the airwaves with the ads equating a vote againt 8 with a vote for religious intolerance) voted for it. The hispanics voted for it, the asians voted for it.
Yeah, we might be justified in pointing fingers if the black population were the only group which voted for it. Even if we call it 70 percent of the black population who voted for it, that's only 20 points (roughly) more than the percentage of whites who voted for it.
Which means the part which matters is that differential; the actual EXTRA votes of the black population is about 150,000; and that's if every one who is registered actually showed up to vote.
Which means everyone else is to blame for, at least, 350,000 votes.
It's not their fault.
We have a black population of about 6 percent. Assume they all voted, that's about 1.9 millon people. Assume all of them (whch isn't the case, but bear with me)are of voting age, and all of them voted, and the 70 percent of the black vote was pro 8 is true.
That's 1.3 million votes. Last I checked the prop was passing by about 500,000 votes. But... about 600,000 of those 1.9 million are under the age of 18. And, sadly, a large percentage of that population is in prison right now, and not eligible to vote. so we can lop another 190,000 votes (with a conservative estimate of 10 percent of black either in prison, or on parole).
That gives us about 750,000 votes, assuming (arguendo) all the blacks in the state who are eligible are registered.
The amendment is ahead by about 500,000 votes. Ok, if every black in the state voted no, then the amendment would be dead.
There are 17 million registered voters in Calif. The stats say black are registered at about the same rate as other groups, so we can probably figure they are registered at, call it 60 percent (because Obama was certainly something of an in-group identifier, much as a the home state of a national candidate is expected to have a larger turnout in their favor).
Take those votes we tallied up and adjust for that number.... 525,000.
So yes, the total number of votes which have it ahead is almost exactly equal to the black voting population.
But there are an awful lot of white folks who voted, and a lot of hispanics too.
My neighbors account for at least two of the vote for. They are white. A really small percentage shift of the white vote would have made the difference. The absentee ballots (which are not, traditionally, black, but rather white folks) aren't reversing the trend.
The whole of the polity voted, the whole of the polity takes the rap. The white folks (and it was a whole lott a white folks spending the money to flood the airwaves with the ads equating a vote againt 8 with a vote for religious intolerance) voted for it. The hispanics voted for it, the asians voted for it.
Yeah, we might be justified in pointing fingers if the black population were the only group which voted for it. Even if we call it 70 percent of the black population who voted for it, that's only 20 points (roughly) more than the percentage of whites who voted for it.
Which means the part which matters is that differential; the actual EXTRA votes of the black population is about 150,000; and that's if every one who is registered actually showed up to vote.
Which means everyone else is to blame for, at least, 350,000 votes.
It's not their fault.
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-09 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-09 03:37 pm (UTC)I'm determined not to let them, and I'm really angry at Jon Stewart for getting involved.
If they're religious or not, is the left's takeaway from this really supposed to be that we should be happy when a minority oppressed for 350 years doesn't vote?
I think this whole situation requires a lot more engagement from actual white Democrats with actual black Democrats, and Republicans are betting it won't happen. We need to prove them wrong.