ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — In the new year, a small rural county 90 minutes southeast of Charlotte is getting unexpected media attention.
"What we're finding is a story of voter apathy," Antonia Hylton said. "A community that feels it's been ignored and mistreated in some cases."
Anson County is one of seven counties across the U.S. NBC News will be focused on through the midterm elections in 2022. Anson County is fairly evenly split among White and Black residents.
Specifically, Hylton and her team at NBC will be analyzing the rural African-American vote. Rural voters of color failed to turn out for Joe Biden as they did for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
"In 2016, Clinton won this county by a secure 13 points, then in 2020 Biden won it by only 4 points," Hylton said.
Anson County's been hit by hard economic times over the years. The priorities of voters aren't a surprise.
"Healthcare, broadband, and the economy, these are top of mind," Hylton said.
You can see Hylton's reports as part of NBC's "County to County" coverage on Meet the Press, Sundays 10 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte.
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