Joint Center Report: Number of Black Male Elected Officials Declining

12/3/2003

From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366; email: lyorke@jointcenter.org

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- For a third straight year, the number of black male elected officeholders has declined, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' 2001 census of black elected officials (BEOs). According to the new report, Black Elected Officials: A Statistical Summary, 2001, black women accounted for all of the growth in BEOs between 1999 and 2001. During that two-year period, the number of male BEOs fell by 58 to 5,881, while the number of female BEOs rose by 223 to 3,220.

Black Elected Officials shows an historic high of 9,101 BEOs, representing a 0.7 percent increase between January 2000 and January 2001 -- the lowest annual percentage increase since 1970. The number of male BEOs declined by 40, while that of black female officeholders increased by 101, making them 35.4 percent of all BEOs.

The full report is available on the Joint Center's Web site: http://www.jointcenter.org

"Since the first roster was published in 1970, the growth of female BEOs has outstripped that of their male counterparts by 5 to 1," said Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center. "It's still not clear whether fewer black men are running or whether black women are replacing them in these elections. What is clear, though, is that black women are coming into their own on the political stage."

The top five states in numbers of black elected officials remain unchanged since 2000: Mississippi (892), Alabama (756), Louisiana (705), Illinois (624) and Georgia (611).

Other report highlights:

--Massachusetts experienced the largest percentage growth (94 percent) in BEOs between 2000 and 2001 because of newly created town committees.

--Between 2000 and 2001, the largest growth in female BEOs was in Georgia (18), while the number of male BEOs grew the most in Massachusetts (16). The largest declines occurred in the District of Columbia (-18) for women and in Texas (-14) for men.

--The District of Columbia (-28), Texas (-15) and California (- 14) lost the most BEOs between 2000 and 2001.

--A majority of BEOs in the District of Columbia and Ohio are women.

Black Elected Officials: A Statistical Summary, encompasses federal, state, municipal, and local officials, including those in law enforcement and education. The Joint Center ceased printing an annual roster listing black elected officials by name in 1993. However, such detailed information, including names, addresses, and levels of office, is still available for purchase. For more information, contact the Joint Center's Office of Communications and Marketing at 202-789-3500.

------

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within the minority, business, and diverse communities. For more information, visit the center's Web site: http://www.jointcenter.org.