WASHINGTON — The NAACP will present a special election day coverage event on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, starting at 7 pm ET to bring forward timely, relevant, and authentic stories of the Black experience in critical cities and swing states from around the country. The NAACP will also host a Virtual National Town Hall on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 8 pm ET to review the outcome and impact of this pivotal election.
Over two days, political analysts, pollsters, regional correspondents, concerned citizens, elected officials, and celebrity guests will join Award-winning journalist Ed Gordon for insights and analysis. The event will engage Black Americans and be live-streamed on NAACP, Ed Gordon Media platforms, and several streaming platforms.
“In one of the most critical election years, the NAACP is taking the lead to ensure our narratives, perspectives, and votes are documented and counted,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “As we know, voter suppression and intimidation are rampant and pose a significant threat to our civic participation. This two-day election coverage special will allow us to actively call these tactics out in real-time as Black Americans head to the polls.”
“We need a space that speaks directly to our concerns, a space that is a bit more authentic than what we normally see on cable and broadcast. We will provide that with this special coverage,” Gordon says.
The NAACP’s Crisis Magazine has published a Special Voting Supplement: that features stories on voter suppression, election security, the power of the youth vote, voting in jail and voter mobilization during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 election will be the most consequential in recent years. From the presidential contest to congressional races and local elections, the confluence of the anemic federal response to the global coronavirus pandemic, social justice uprisings and national reckoning on systemic racism, and the suffering economy has highlighted, for many, the importance of change. Adding a particular challenge this year, even as the US Postal Service has decided to cut back on some services, social distancing has necessitated conversations around in-person voting and mail-in ballots.
Black voter turnout will make a material difference in swing states such as Michigan, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and others. The addition of the first Black woman on a major party ticket may galvanize voters in numbers unseen since 2008. The NAACP will have eyes and ears in key cities and precincts across the country and include insightful stats and perspectives on election day trends, activities, voter suppression attempts, and related legal actions. To mobilize voters, the NAACP is running the most comprehensive voter mobilization program entitled, “Black Voices Change Lives,” an unprecedented effort to engage Black voters across the country by deploying a blend of traditional and innovative turnout tactics in a select number of battleground states.
Those interested in viewing the special election coverage can sign up to learn more by visiting, https://www.naacp.org/naacp-election-2020-special-coverage/.
About NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
