I’ve heard this anecdote repeated several times, both in real life and on the internet – most recently iterated by lorene in Justin_Bailey’s Fuck it, I’m counting my chickens thread.
Setting: a door-to-door canvasser knocks on a front door in [rural swing state – usually PA or WV]. A woman answers.
WOMAN: Can I help you?
CANVASSER: Hello, I’d just like to ask you who you’re voting for.
WOMAN: [calls inside house to husband] Who are we voting for?
HUSBAND: We’re voting for the nigger!
WOMAN: [to canvasser] We’re voting for the nigger.
What’s the origin of this anecdote? Why has it gained so much currency and been repeated so often?