At All Levels of Government

People of color are underrepresented at all levels of government from the voting booth to elected office. Black people make up 12% of the adult population in the United States but make up only 5% of people who run for office. Similarly, 15% of U.S. adults are Hispanic while only 6% of the adults who have ever run for office are Hispanic.

Representation matters in media and in government too. People of color, for example, are underrepresented at the polls and as lawmakers. By encouraging friends to vote, you have the power to elect officials who will create the future you want to see.

In 2017, voters spoke up and made history: Montana elected its first black mayor, a refugee from Liberia. New Jersey elected its first Sikh mayor. Virginia elected its first LGBTQ lawmaker. And black voters swung the Senate election in Alabama.