An unprecedented convergence of three crises that disproportionately affect people of color — the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness and police brutality — has led many to believe this presidential election is a referendum on race relations in America.
“In a sense, I think racial issues were bubbling under the surface and have been made more prominent and more polarizing than they have been before,” said Todd Schaefer, a political science professor at Central Washington University.
Black voters will be decisive in the outcome. Democrat Joe Biden is relying on strong turnout among Black voters in cities such as Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee to tip critical swing states in his direction. President Donald Trump is focusing on appeals to his core base of white voters.
States have experienced unprecedented early voter turnout and a surge in Black voter turnout. In Washington, 60.8% of registered voters had turned in ballots five days before the general election compared to just 36.8% at the same point in 2016.
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Schaefer pointed to voter anger and fear stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about voter fraud and suppression as some of the drivers behind projected record turnout.
“It seems like whenever you're in a bad time, turnout goes up,” Schaefer said. “If times were good, we probably wouldn't be seeing this.”
Partisan differences have also ramped up as national polling shows the divide between Democrats and Republicans is growing deeper and wider.
“Both sides now have essentially made it so that a key ingredient of people's partisan identity now is sort of a social identity,” Schaefer said.
However, Schaefer said he still thinks there’s hope for a less divided future.
“If we look at history, America has been able to, like Lincoln said, live up to the ‘better angels of our nature,’ and I think if people come to the realization that this is not working for them, I think there can be compromise,” Schaefer said.
This story was produced as part of “Facing Race,” a KING 5 series that examines racism, social justice and racial inequality in the Pacific Northwest. Tune in to KING 5 on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. to watch live and catch up on our coverage here.