Party at the Ballot Box
Mobilizing Black Women Voters
Efforts to increase voter turnout in Black communities are at the heart of the revealing political science text Party at the Ballot Box.
In 2020, COVID-19 and police brutality against Black communities necessitated Baltimore, Maryland-based Black Girls Vote to shift its efforts to energize Black women voters. A creative and remarkable promotion was born: Party at the Mailbox (PATM), a unique box of voter swag, local food items, and educational materials provided to select households. The organization’s efforts and subsequent expansion to Atlanta, Richmond, Detroit, and Philadelphia through 2024 elucidates the complexities of engaging high-propensity Black women voters who turn their household’s low-propensity voters into active electoral participants. This study compiles best practices for future initiatives to draw on celebrations of community for increased Black voter representation.
Addressing consequential historical events like the 1965 Voting Rights Act and population shifts, the book unpacks the nuances at play in each city. Decades of experience are distilled into a concise, lucid format, supported by footnotes and insightful studies. Examinations of why Black communities are skeptical of large-scale studies given racism and marginalization run alongside demystifications of mindsets that govern collective action. Civic duties, Black joy, and pride in one’s community are celebrated.
Framed within its Voter Community Celebration Model, the book is expansive in analyzing randomized controlled trials, surveys, and focus groups to illuminate indicators for success. The data is explained in clear terms, complemented by graphs, tables, images, and direct voter input. Though sometimes academic in its detail, the text is structured to illustrate broad concepts in introductory sections with sound cumulative conclusions, resulting in an astute, extraordinary guide to encouraging Black voter turnout.
Party at the Ballot Box is an expert political science text that celebrates community mobilizations of Black women voters.
Reviewed by
Katy Keffer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
