Demographics

December 1, 2022 - During this election cycle, rural and low-income voters proved to be crucial voting blocs in many races nationwide — including in Southern states. Organizers emphasize the importance of engaging with these communities, which will continue to play a critical role in shaping Southern and national politics.

October 12, 2022 - For decades, the co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund has led voter organizing campaigns across the South and helped lay the groundwork for Democratic wins in Georgia's 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate elections. She talked with Facing South about mobilizing for the midterms, misconceptions about the South and the region's Black voters, and building a genuine multiracial democracy.

August 9, 2022 - A recent study from the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice details how racism is behind state laws that suppress voter participation. The analysis comes as the nation gears up for midterm elections in which voters of color will play a crucial role.

July 5, 2022 - Youth turnout set records in the 2020 presidential election, and organizers across the South are now building on that momentum to get young people to the polls this midterm election year. Polls show the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights is a motivating factor.

May 27, 2022 - The ongoing infant formula shortage has illuminated another reproductive injustice: low breastfeeding rates in Black communities and in Southern states. Expanding Medicaid to cover lactation services could reduce breastfeeding disparities, but few states in the South have such a policy in place.   

May 19, 2022 - The racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory that claims elites are trying to replace the current electorate with immigrants has been tied to numerous domestic U.S. terror attacks, including the recent massacre of Black people inside a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. We look at some of the elected officials who promote the idea — and the corporate contributions flowing to their campaigns.

April 22, 2022 - The recently released "Poor People's Pandemic Report" details how counties with larger percentages of poor people — the vast majority of which are in the South — have been more likely to experience higher death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.