A new voter engagement campaign is targeting young voters and voters of color ahead of November’s presidential election.
Kairos: Democracy Project plans to mobilize the two groups by highlighting advocacy and the benefits of democracy in daily life. The project will rely heavily on influencer engagement and grassroots organizing.
Founded by Michael Blake, a former White House associate director of intergovernmental affairs and public engagement, the campaign was announced at Wednesday’s Black History Month reception at the White House.
“We have a unique point of view on voters, especially within communities of color, who feel like the system is stacked against them and who no longer find value in being an active civic citizen or a champion for a healthy democracy,” Blake said in a statement.
The core component of the campaigns is to educate and activate communities of color. The Project will use canvassing, festivals and other in-person events to reach the targeted voters.
“We are clear that we need an Earth-shattering wake-up call to the decision-makers, funders and voters that the fight for our lives did not end in 2020 — it is still happening every day,” said Blake.
The new campaign launches as former President Trump continues to dominate GOP primaries over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R).
But President Biden’s approval rating among voters of color appears shaky.
In partnership with Future Majority, a nonpartisan research group, the Project found that among voters aged 18 to 34, Biden’s job approval rating among Black women is 44 percent and 49 percent among Black men.
Still, Biden leads Trump among Black women 60 percent to 23 percent, and among Black men 51 percent to 36 percent. The same goes for Latino voters, where Biden leads Trump 54 percent to 27 percent among Latino women.
But Biden trails Trump among Latino men 48 percent to 34 percent.
The Project will continue to research the attitudes of these demographics.
From there, messengers will be sent into communities to speak with these key voting blocs. The campaign will also launch ads across television and radio stations in battleground states.
Blake said the hope is that these efforts can also help dispel misinformation.
“By building a 24/7 mechanism to help push back against the barrage of misinformation — both in the traditional media and online — with diverse voices and insights, we can defend our freedom and democracy,” Blake said.