Summary:
Democrats are becoming increasingly concerned about a possible drop in Black voter turnout for the 2024 presidential election, according to party insiders. The worries arise from a 10% decrease in Black voter turnout in the 2022 midterms compared to 2018, a more substantial decline than any other racial or ethnic group, as per a Washington Post analysis. The decline was particularly significant among younger and male Black voters in crucial states like Georgia, where Democrats aim to mobilize Black voter support for President Biden in 2024.
The Democratic party has acknowledged the need to bolster their outreach efforts to this demographic. W. Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voter Project, highlighted the need for Democrats to refocus their attention on Black male voters, who have shown lower levels of engagement. In response, Biden’s team has pledged to communicate more effectively about the benefits that the Black community has reaped under Biden’s administration, according to Cedric L. Richmond, a senior advisor at the Democratic National Committee.
However, Black voter advocates have identified deep-seated issues affecting Black voter turnout. Many Black men reportedly feel detached from the political process and uninspired by both parties’ policies. Terrance Woodbury, CEO of HIT Strategies, a polling firm, suggests that the Democratic party’s focus on countering Trump and Republican extremism doesn’t motivate younger Black men as much as arguments focused on policy benefits. Concerns are growing within the party that if they fail to address these issues, disenchanted Black voters might either abstain or, potentially, be swayed by Republican messaging on certain key issues.
Pretty sure that every state (with maybe a handful of exceptions?) provides for required unpaid time off work to vote. There’s also lots of places that have early voting, for weeks ahead of an election, with early and late hours. Mail-in voting has expanded dramatically since Covid.
But I get it. There are also lots of places in the country where voting is hard, and there’s a very clear reason why. The more people who vote, the more likely that a Democrat will win and a Republican will lose. It is always Republicans who want to make voting harder, and it is always Democrats who want to make voting easier.
You want it to be easy to vote, so you don’t have to be as excited about voting? Go vote for the people who want to make it easy to vote, and stop voting for people who want to make it hard to vote. If nothing else, get excited about making it easier to vote.
For a lot of people “unpaid time off” isn’t a favor. You’re asking them to pay to vote.
Plus the rules frequently only come into play if their work shift makes it literally impossible to make it to the polls. If they could wake up from their third shift job to get in line as polls open before making it to their other job at 7:45 sharp, then no time off for you. If you need to get your kids to school during that time slot? Too bad, that’s time you could technically be voting, so it’s not your employer’s responsibility.
I didn’t say it was perfect, certainly not everywhere. I was trying to point out that it’s easier to vote in some places than in others, sometimes dramatically. And that it’s really simple to know who’s responsible for making it easier or harder.
Sorry, but voting is a civic duty.
Not a pastime.
Not a hobby.
Not a privilege.
A duty.
Republicans win when you don’t vote, and they get you to not vote by making it difficult, if not dangerous.
Just remember, not voting will only ever make things worse.
I cannot vote for you.
When someone has three kids and lives paycheck-to-paycheck, asking them to sacrifice pay to vote is not justified. You’re saying, “vote or feed your kids, pick one.”
I’m not saying that you should let your kids starve. I’m saying that this situation has been engineered on purpose, and that it perpetuates itself by design.
If I could, I would stand in line for you. I can afford it.
But I can’t. Legally, I can’t.