Polls have Obama winning more than 90% of the black vote against Mitt Romney, but there are signs that the high African-American turnout that fueled his 2008 victories in North Carolina and Virginia could dissipate after the hard realities of Obama’s first term

The chances for depressed turnout are increased by the bad economy, which at its worst drove the unemployment rate for blacks above 16% and led to some disillusionment with the candidate of “hope and change.” African Americans “don’t have to vote for [Romney]” to help his campaign, said black broadcaster and author Earl Ofari Hutchinson. “An abstention from the polls is effectively a vote for Romney,” he said. “If there is only a minuscule drop-off [in turnout], it will spell trouble.”