Abstract

How the Negroes Voted

Although no particular segment of the electorate can completely justify the claim of being the decisive factor in an election, an analysis of the returns indicates the important role of Negro voters in the reelection of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Negro vote is today more necessary to the success of a Presidential candidate than the vote of the solid South. It is also a more intelligent and more independent vote. Its geographical distribution gives it a strategic advantage. The 168 electoral votes of the seven states in which Negroes contributed substantially to the margin of victory for the Democratic candidate outweigh the 127 votes of the eleven states composing the solid South. Ardently wooed by both major parties during the pie-election campaign, the Negro those to remain loyal to the New Deal, under which he has made great gains in employment, social welfare, housing, and political recognitions.