The Curious Case of the Vanishing Voters
"The vote is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society." - Rep. John Lewis
Our countdown calendar tells us we have 363 days until we can vote in a new president. It’s a good time to check in about voter registration and voting rights. - Amber & Katie
Source: Wall Street Journal, 2016
It’s about a year until the big 2020 presidential election, and election politics are looming large in the news. Foreign interference and social media certainly are important factors in U.S. election, but even more fundamental: voters gotta vote.
In the 2016 presidential election, 70% of the population was registered to vote and turnout was only 60% of eligible voters. In fact, the highest turnout in the last two decades was still only 62% (in the hopeful 2008 race).
Voting is an individual responsibility, and we must protect the infrastructure of our elections. In reality, voter suppression is more threatening to our democracy than Russian Twitter bots. We’re talking about the various legal tricks and turns designed to keep people from voting: re-drawing districts, discouraging turnout, inhibiting registration, purging voter rolls, reducing polling locations, and tossing ballots.
Over 17 million voters were purged from rolls nationwide between 2016-2018, which is highly suspect because it is 4 million more than were purged from 2006-2008. Plus, states with histories of voter discrimination were purging rolls at nearly twice the rate as others.
Voter ID law proposals are popping up everywhere. Florida is trying to implement a poll tax, Texas is shutting down early voting sites, and Georgia is trying to make people vote in police stations. These tactics disproportionately impact people of color, people in lower income brackets, and young voters.
So, let’s not wait to do our civic duty. Let’s dig in now to make sure that all eligible voters can and will vote.
Stacey Abrams ran for Governor of Georgia in 2018 and quickly became a national superstar. But she lost her race, in no small part because of voter suppression, propagated by her opponent who happened to run the elections in the state. Abrams dug in and launched Fair Fight Action, a nationwide effort to fight voter suppression and disenfranchisement on several levels. Her hope: “If we start now in 2019, by the time we get to 2020, we’re not going to eradicate voter suppression... but we can fight the evil we know, and we can anticipate the evil that is to come.” Such as? In this interview with the Breakfast Club radio show, Abrams talks about the legal tricks used to keep people from voting and how her team will mobilize to overcome them. In Stacey we trust.
Be an engaged and responsible voter...
Add “ELECTION DAY!” to your calendar on November 3, 2020. (No, really. Add it now. We’ll wait.)
Head over to vote411.org and enter your address. Check on your voter registration and get a wealth of useful information, including your state’s primary, what’s on your local ballot, early voting deadlines, your polling place, and upcoming debates and events in your area. (Add that to your calendar, too.)
Overseas or in the military? The Overseas Vote Foundation can get you sorted on your absentee ballot and other logistics.
Mobilize other voters...
Vote Save America (by Crooked Media) has compiled a variety of democracy-saving volunteer opportunities in your region, including lots of phonebanks, canvassing, and other get-out-the-vote activities.
Host a voter registration drive at your workplace, school, faith community, neighborhood event, or holiday bizarre. Rock the Vote’s toolkit makes it easy.
Volunteer to register voters at concerts and festivals with Head Count.
If you have a website - for your organization, side hustle or personal brand - you can add voter engagement tools like voter registration. Just pull the code, offered for free by vote.org.
Protect voting rights and fight systemic voter suppression...
Volunteer to work the polls. Many polling places are understaffed, leading to long waits, low turnout or errors. Communities of color are often the most impacted. All Voting Is Local (a project of The Leadership Conference Education Fund) is recruiting poll workers and other election support now, especially in AZ, FL, OH, PA and WI.
Donate to Fair Fight 2020 and support Stacey Abrams in the fight against voter suppression.
Sign the petition to make election day a federal holiday.
Get familiar with the state of voting rights and laws where you are. Rock the Vote has it all mapped out by state and by issue.
Urge Congress to reinstate key protections the Voting Rights Act which was stripped by the Supreme Court in 2013. With a few clicks, you can send a message to your representative via the League of Women Voters.
Why was the Voting Rights Act weakened and what does it mean for our elections? Read an Op-Ed by former Attorney General Eric Holder on the court battles and where we go from here.
Gerrymandering is yet another effort to undermine fair elections. Common Cause has approximately a bajillion helpful resources for education and advocacy about redistricting.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Let us know how you’ve taken action using #LinkedAndLoud.
References
Voter Registration | Ballotpedia
Voter turnout in United States elections | Ballotpedia
Voter Turnout: US Government and Civics | Khan Academy
Voter Purge Rates Remain High, Analysis Finds | The Brennan Center for Justice
A Chance to Revive the Voting Rights Act | The Brennan Center for Justice
Republicans escalate their strategy of voter suppression | The Washington Post
Despite a Court Ruling, Most of Florida’s Ex-Felons Will Still Face a “Poll Tax” | Slate
How a Jim Crow law still shapes Mississippi’s elections | Vox
Reports Of Voter Suppression Pour In On Election Day | NewsOne
The Causes and Symptoms of Voter Suppression | The National League of Cities
America the Beautiful: Activist Stacey Abrams on How to Fight the Good Fight | Allure
Stacey Abrams Speaks On #FairFight2020 Initiative To Protect Voting Rights | Breakfast Club Power 105.1
Democrats want to make Election Day a national holiday—here’s why | CNBC
Linked & Loud illuminates complex problems and connects readers with the individuals and organizations working to solve them. Each week, we go beyond horrifying headlines to empower readers to take progressive action.