Racial Civic Pride and White and Non-white Views on Voter Fraud

• In Event: Electoral Mistrust, Voter Confidence and Minority Voter Turnout

Abstract

Recent electoral trends highlight the growing influence of Americans of color in securing Democratic victories. However, their perspectives on the party’s narrative, particularly concerning the January 6, 2021 Capitol events, are underexplored, despite their significance in the upcoming 2024 presidential election and the Biden campaign's focus on Trump's alleged role spreading misinformation about voter fraud in 2020. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the attitudes of Americans of color towards the claims of voter fraud. We find that civic pride is an important and overlooked factor in shaping beliefs in voter fraud. However, when civic pride is divided into national and racial components, only racial civic pride significantly impacts these beliefs. Among Black, Latino, and Asian Americans, increased racial civic pride leads to a lower belief in voter fraud. In contrast, White Americans with higher racial civic pride are more likely to believe in voter fraud. This racial divergence is especially apparent among Democrats. The study demonstrates that racial civic pride holds different meanings across racial groups. For non-White Americans, strong racial civic pride is perhaps linked to racial justice and representation, with events allegations of voter fraud and the Capitol attack as threats to racial equality. Conversely, White Americans may associate increased racial civic pride with cultural preservation, influencing their acceptance of voter fraud narratives. These divergent views underscore the complex role of racial identity in shaping democratic beliefs in America.

Authors

• Kelsey E Osborne-Garth, Michigan State University

• Nazita Lajevardi, Michigan State University

• John Seungmin Kuk, Michigan State University