ANSON COUNTY, NC – In the New Year, a small, rural county 90 minutes southeast of Charlotte unexpectedly catches media attention.

“What we are finding is a story of voter apathy,” said Antonia Hylton. “A community that feels it has been ignored and abused in some cases.”

Anson County is one of seven counties in the United States that NBC News will focus on until the midterm election in 2022. Anson County is split evenly between white and black residents.

RELATED: “The Story Won’t Be A Nice One. “| Local historians reflect on January 6 attacks

Specifically, Hylton and his team at NBC will analyze the rural African American vote. Rural voters of color did not run for Joe Biden the way they did for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

“In 2016 Clinton won this county with 13 points secured and then in 2020 Biden won it with just 4 points,” Hylton said.

MORE NEWS: January 6, one year later: Fact-check on three insurgency allegations

Anson County has been hit by difficult economic times over the years. Voters’ priorities come as no surprise.

“Healthcare, broadband and the economy are priorities,” Hylton said.

You can see Hylton’s reporting as part of NBC’s “County to County” coverage on Meet the Press, Sundays at 10 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte.

WATCH THE FLASHPOINT SUNDAY AT 11AM ONLY ON WCNC CHARLOTTE.

Breaking point is an in-depth weekly political review in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast every week.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple podcasts || Spotify || Stapler || Google podcasts

All of WCNC Charlotte’s podcasts are free and available to stream and download. Now you can listen on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina or anywhere.

Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

WCNC Charlotte is one of seven leading media companies and other local institutions that report and engage the community around issues and solutions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and invigorate local media ecosystems. See all our reports on charlottejournalism.org.