Daphine Foster

Black Voter Turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election: in Copiah County Daphine Foster

The question here "is why did black voters in Copiah County (Mississippi) turn out in such large numbers during the 2008 presidential election?" The issues and demographic makeup of voters were compared to their decision to vote in the 2008 Presidential election. Data were collected to determine whether race or political issues had a greater influence on the turnout of the black voters in Copiah County and to look at the role that black churches played in the voter turnout in this county. Primary sources include surveys, interviews and personal experiences. The objective was to determine if black voters in Copiah County voted based on issues before race, whether the black churches had an influence on black voters in Copiah County, and whether race had an influence on first time black voter turnout in Copiah County in the 2008 presidential election. The data indicated that some black voters were influenced by black churches and that race was a factor. This research should help to answer some of the questions from political pundits about why black voters turned out in such record high numbers in the 2008 Presidential Election.