JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – A recent report analyzing the recent election reveals that Black Mississippians are among the most politically engaged nationally.

The state has the highest percentage of African Americans in its overall population. However, WalletHub ranks Black Mississippians as the 16th most politically engaged state in the country. In 2020, these voters had the second-highest registration and turnout among Black voters nationally.

WalletHub used the following metrics to rank Mississippi:

• Black voter turnout (2020 Presidential Election): 25 points
• Black voter turnout (2022 Midterm Elections): 25 points
• Proportional representation of Black people in U.S. House of Representatives to state’s Black population: 25 points
• Black voter registration (2020 Presidential Election): 12.5 points
• Black voter registration (2022 Midterm Elections): 12.5 points
• Mississippi’s overall score: 66.17/100 points

Black voters historically vote for Democrats. Among 2020 voters, 92% of African Americans cast a vote for Joe Biden, while only 8% backed Donald Trump. WalletHub noted that Mississippians had among the strictest voter ID laws, yet had high overall engagement rates among African Americans. The Pew Research Center forecasts the Black-eligible voter population to grow nationally by 7% to 34,450,000 people this year.

However, additional research shows that Black turnout is impacted by other factors. According to The Center for Public Integrity, Mississippi’s voter disenfranchisement law affected 11% of adults in the state overall. It includes more than 130,000 Black voters, 16% of the adult Black population in the state.

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