Georgia and Michigan could be key to keeping Black voter turnout up in 2024

ATLANTA – With its funky carpet, neon signs and moody lighting, Cascade skating rink definitely has a vibe – and it has been a cornerstone of Atlanta's Black community for decades.

Dean Anthony has been coming here since he was a kid with friends and family for roller skating, slushies and birthday parties.

"I'm not the best skater, so I have more memories falling down on the skating rink," Anthony said, laughing.

Anthony is a Democratic strategist and organizer. He says people who hang out at Cascade and places like it could shape the next election – if campaigns don't take them for granted.

Black voters played a key role in helping Joe Biden win Georgia and other battlegrounds in 2020. But as Georgia voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the state's presidential primary, organizers warn that Democrats cannot ignore the drop in Black voter turnout that happened between the last two midterms.

Along with Democratic strategists in Georgia and Michigan, Anthony helped craft a recent memo that found Black voter turnout dropped by almost a quarter between the 2018 and 2022 midterms.

"If the numbers look like they did nationally, Democrats don't win," says the memo's co-author Jack DeLapp. "We can't have a quarter of black voters in 2020 drop off in 2024."

At Cascade, Anthony says campaigns need to meet Black voters early, often and wherever they are, not just at church or a rally at a historically-Black college a few weeks before Election Day.

"I think generally there's a sense of fear that's really palatable, but also apathy to some degree," explained Nina Smith, another co-author of the report. "That's where showing up at places like this could be helpful."

All three strategists worked on Democrat Stacey Abrams' campaign