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April Recap: Talker Call, New Research & Voting Rights Act Update
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 Next Month’s Talker Call
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Mark your calendars and share widely with your network! HIT Strategies’ first Talker Call of the year is not to be missed. Join us to dig into the data and dynamics behind the shifting political attitudes among young men across demographics who have become the new swing voters. From the gender gap in party affiliation to the rising influence of online media ecosystems, this presentation will go beyond the headlines to explore the social conditions shaping how young men vote and how they might determine the outcome of the upcoming elections for this midterm.
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 What’s Left of the Voting Rights Act? Less Than You Think & Less than Democracy Requires
Louisiana v. Callais
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Just this week, in a ruling civil rights advocates are calling a profound setback for Democracy, the Supreme Court limited how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) can be used to challenge redistricting maps that weaken minority voting power. Challengers must now show stronger evidence of intentional discrimination — a significantly harder standard to meet. Let’s break down what this all means.
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What Changed: The Supreme Court just made it dramatically harder to challenge racially discriminatory maps. States can now draw districts that dilute minority voting power and face almost no legal consequence for it.
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Who is Affected: Black, Latino, and other minority voters who depend on majority-minority districts to have any real voice in Congress and state legislatures. Without those districts, millions of votes effectively disappear.
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Why it Matters Now: This ruling drops just as states gear up for redistricting battles ahead of major elections. The maps drawn int he next cycle will determine representation for the next decade, and this decision just handed the pen to the very officials minority communities and advocates have been fighting in court.
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What is Actually Happening: The Court didn’t just limit a legal protective tool, it gutted the last meaningful enforcement mechanism left standing after Shelby County v. Holder dismantled pre-clearance in 2013. Voting rights advocates and organizations now have fewer tools, higher hurdles, and less time.
When HIT Strategies asked voters about threats to the Voting Rights Act last September on behalf of Fair Representation in Redistricting the responses were telling. None of the participants had heard of Louisiana v. Callais, which was still on the docket, but participants were not surprised that there was another attempt to undermine voting rights. They connected it to a pattern: racialized voter suppression and politicians doing whatever it takes to hold onto power and undermine fundamental rights.
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“It just makes me think about how they’re making it legal for ICE to do raids on people and how they’re trying to erase Black history. They don’t look at us as being valuable in a sense, or just trying to prevent us from prevailing, or coming together, or anything of the such.”—Black woman, Georgia, Independent lean Democrat
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“I mean, it’s already hard. So with this being gone it would be even harder for us to exercise our right to vote… I definitely think if it wasn’t intact that certain parties would take advantage and try really hard to suppress the vote of a lot of people.”—Black man, Alabama, not strong Democrat
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“I feel like a lot of people would get riled up. They would definitely feel the injustice and feel like we’re getting a right stripped away from us. It’s just pretty much what it is. It’s trying to make everybody go through hoops … and the power situation that’s going on in this country, it would just make it worse.”—Latina woman, Arizona, Independent lean Democrat
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Participants didn’t need to know the case by name to understand what it meant. What came through clearly was a weary anger at politicians they believe are systematically dismantling legal rules that protect their voice. These weren’t abstract concerns, they were people describing what it feels like to watch the ground shift beneath you, election after election, ruling after ruling and wonder whether anything you do at the ballot box or streets will change the outcome.
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 HIT Team Highlights
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Welcome to the Team Jennifer Ferrell!
We’re excited to welcome Jennifer Ferrell to HIT Strategies as our new Account Manager. Jennifer brings more than 25 years of business development and research experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and we’re thrilled to have her expertise and leadership on the team.
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A Well-Deserved Milestone!
Congratulations to Ross Miletich on his recent promotion to Research Manager for HIT Strategies. We’re excited to see Ross continue bringing his sought after expertise and leadership to our political research work in this new role. Cheers Ross!
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Analysis on Latino Voters & Farewell Wishes.
Last month’s Substack featured a new piece from Dr. Kim Cárdenas exploring recent developments of Latino voter behavior in Texas’ Senate Democratic primary and the importance of values-based research in shaping future political strategy.
We want to thank Dr. Cárdenas for her immense contributions to HIT Strategies and the insights she brought to our work. We are grateful for the impact she had on her team and clients and wish her continued success as she embarks on the next chapter of her career!
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New HIT Poll Shows Tight Race in Missouri’s 1st District
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Former Representative Cori Bush and Wesley Bell are statistically tied in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, with Bell at 44% and Bush at 40%, within the margin of error. The Bell-Bush rematch is a competitive race since the political environment has also shifted this time around in Bush’s favor: AIPAC’s 40-point unfavorability among district Democrats turns the outside money that helped Bell win in 2024 into a liability, and his vote on a resolution thanking ICE “for protecting the homeland” is a serious tactical exposure in a district where ICE holds 86% unfavorability among Democrats. However, the race is not yet Bush’s to win. Whether AIPAC money and an ICE vote can be turned into decisive liabilities will make this one of the more telling Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle.
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New HIT Research: Young Residents in Greater Boston
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HIT Strategies partnered with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation on the 2026 Young Residents Survey, highlighting the economic pressures shaping how young adults view life in the region. Job availability (79%), safety (79%), cost of rent (78%), and the ability to buy a home (72%) rank among the most important issues for young residents. The survey also found a notable decline in satisfaction with day-to-day life in Greater Boston, falling from 89% in 2023 to 79% in 2026, which offers an important roadmap for leaders focused on retaining young talent and strengthening the region’s future.
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HIT Featured in DPI’s New Impact Report
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Democracy & Power Innovation Fund’s new report, Learning to Build Power, highlights six years of research and innovation focused on strengthening civic organizations and advancing a stronger multiracial democracy.
Included in the report is HIT’s national survey with DPI and Sojourn Strategies exploring the diverse values and perspectives within Black communities, demonstrating the power of nuanced research to inform organizing and long-term change.
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 HIT in the News & On Stage
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Terrance Woodbury joined CNN for From ‘Trump curious’ to ‘Trump furious’: How Black swing voters are shifting, offering expert analysis on changing sentiment among Black voters and the political forces shaping the 2026 landscape. His appearance underscored HIT Strategies’ leadership in understanding the rising electorate and evolving voter behavior.
Joshua Doss also delivered a powerful presentation at Harvard Kennedy School’s Politics and Black Policy Conference, where he explored the psychological clusters of Black voters through data, storytelling, and cultural analysis. Connecting research insights with a call to action, Joshua’s remarks earned a standing ovation and highlighted the power of innovative political research.
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HIT is Going Coast to Coast: Washington D.C. to Los Angeles
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HIT Strategies was proud to have a strong presence at this month’s major convening across research, civic engagement, and political strategy. At the America Votes State Summit, Terrance Woodbury moderated The Rising American Electorate: From Demographic Change to Durable Power, while Roshni Nedungadi joined a breakout session on how organizations are using arts, culture, and language access to mobilize and build power in Asian American communities.
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Our team will be participating in the AAPOR 81st Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California. HIT Strategies’ Lead Software Engineer, Alex Auritt, will present on modern survey workflows and AI-powered tools for public opinion research. His abstract for the conference can be read here.
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 What We Are Reading at HIT
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State of Our Unions 2026: The Dating Recession
A new report examines why fewer Americans are dating, pairing up, and forming long-term relationships, and what those shifts may signal for culture and society.
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Pulled in Every Direction: How American Women Are Struggling to Make Ends Meet
New research explores the economic pressures many American women face as they balance rising costs, caregiving responsibilities, and financial insecurity.
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The Creator Generation: How Gen Z is rewriting the rules of work, identity, and culture
Lenovo looks at how Gen Z is redefining career paths, workplace expectations, and identity in a rapidly changing world.
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Podcast Drop: Native Land Pod
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HIT Strategies’ Joshua Doss joined Native Land Pod as guest host for a new episode alongside Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Bakari Sellers. In the conversation, Joshua brought HIT Strategies’ research-driven insight to the biggest political and cultural headlines, highlighting the value of data grounded in the real experiences of voters.
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Protecting Access to the Polls
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Voters should be able to cast their ballots free from fear or intimidation. This month, we’re highlighting efforts to keep immigration enforcement away from voting locations and support safe, accessible elections for every community. Learn more and add your name below.
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Letter from the Editorial Team
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We are grateful to our subscribers and readers for their continued support of HIT Strategies’ newsletter. Our team is dedicated to sharing updates on our latest research and analyses, staff highlights, media appearances, and more. We always welcome feedback on our content and appreciate hearing from our community.
Recently, we became aware that some subscribers experienced difficulty forwarding our newsletter due to formatting issues. We have since addressed the issue and are currently testing new tools to improve the forwarding experience. If this issue persists or if you encounter any other technical difficulties, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Thank you for your patience and continued readership.
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Partner with HIT.
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HIT Strategies is proud to work with advocacy groups, campaigns, brands, and organizations shaping the future. If your team is looking for reliable, culturally competent insights this year, we’d love to talk.
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Want to Stay Connected?
Follow us or reach out directly to learn more about our services and impact.
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