Black voter turnout appears high on Election Day, according to voter coalition

LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter, said turnout in some states seemed to rival that of 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama was running for president for the first time.

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She and others said turnout appeared particularly high in Michigan and Mississippi.

Brown, speaking during a media briefing organized by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said her organization had more than 2,000 poll observers in several states. They reported no "widescale issues" for voters, she said.

Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the coalition, said the group has extended its monitoring efforts beyond Election Day — through vote counting, certifications and even winners' inaugurations.

"As those of us who believe that this democracy is for all people, we have to also stand in the gap," she said.

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