Young Black voters say they aren't enthusiastic about a Joe Biden presidency

Joe Biden has touted his record supporting the African American community.

But young Black voters want to see more from Biden.

WASHINGTON – Perry Green doesn’t believe that Joe Biden is listening to what young, Black Americans want right now.

With the November election four months away, polling shows Biden's support with younger Black voters trailing significantly behind that of older Black voters.

And while polls show the majority of young Black voters support Biden over President Donald Trump, many are unenthusiastic at best or hesitant at worst.

Black voters of all ages have been a pillar of the Democratic party's coalition for decades and strong turnout from the Black community, particularly in key battleground states such as Michigan and Florida, will be key for Biden to take the White House in November.

"I think this is a time for Joe Biden to be explicitly clear on his stances," said Stefanie Brown James, who led Obama for America's effort to engage African American leaders and voters in 2012. "Don't skirt around the issue.

“(Young Black voters) are going to have some reservations about Joe Biden,” Laird said, adding that Biden represents “a very clear image of a status quo politician within the Democratic Party.”.

Older voters, and particularly older Black voters, are more pragmatic when it comes to deciding who to vote for because they have seen that change takes time, Laird said.

Still, voting for the Democratic candidate is the norm within the Black community, Laird said, and young Black voters will likely fall in line.

“I don't imagine any (young Black voters) going to vote, if they are planning to vote, and voting for Donald Trump,” she said, adding that they will likely vote for Biden but not be happy about it.  .

James noted it's "a critical year for young Black voters to be engaged and feel as though they are a part of the process." Because young voters "are not waiting" and will "move forward how they feel is best," James said, it's crucial for Biden to take a step back and meet with young activists in this moment.

Amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, young Black voters, who have taken the lead in many of the demonstrations, are more skeptical of Biden, according to an analysis from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape project published in May in the Washington Post.

A recent Washington Post/Ipsos poll published in June found that 92% of Black registered voters said they plan to vote for Biden in November.

But it was a near even split as to why: 50% of the Black registered voters surveyed said it was mainly because they oppose Trump, while 49% said they mainly support Biden.

Among African American voters, the voting rates are similar, with young Black voter turnout at about 46% and voter turnout for Black voters 65 and up at 71% in 2016, according to the Census Bureau.

But overwhelming support from Black voters, particularly older Black voters, delivered Biden a stunning turnaround in South Carolina.

Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., pointed to that legislation's long-term impacts on the Black community, particularly its contribution to mass incarceration.

“I've never, never, ever taken the African American community for granted,” Biden said on a call with members of the U.S.

He said he still believes Sanders was "the correct choice for Black folks, for younger Black voters like myself." He noted he was going to vote in November but would not say if he was going to vote for Biden. 

Cassandra Dalmida, 19, also said she doesn’t want Biden “to piggyback off of Barack Obama.” Dalmida said she is going to vote in November, but has not committed to the former vice president yet

And not all younger Black voters are holding out on throwing their support for Biden

Gilchrist, who endorsed Biden in early March, said he knows how many young Black voters feel at the moment

But he threw his support to Biden in part because of the plans he has set forward and also because the former vice president "has ... always surrounded himself with young hungry smart, talented people to be successful."