As we enter into the final weeks of campaigning prior to the elections for positions from Councilman to President there is coverage galore over the “horserace” of politics. Pundits analyzing who’s up in the polls, which candidate is bringing out their base better or winning over more undecided voters. That this content is sorely lacking in Policy analysis is a depressing but perhaps even more fundamentally concerning is that many of these conversations act as if every state is committed to conducting free and fair elections.
They often overlook the quasi-legal to sometimes illegal schemes aimed at tampering with the election. We aren’t talking about election interference, or voter fraud on the individual level as the histrionics often suggest is an issue without any evidence. Instead it’s the far more pernicious systemic level chicanery, where, at least on one side of the aisle, politicians have decided that rather than trying to convince more voters to turn out to vote for them, they will simply prevent voters who don't support them from participating.
Every election we get periodic reports from Red States like Georgia, North Carolina,or Texas, where tens to hundreds of thousands of Voters having been purged from the roles, often in predominantly blue voting districts. In many case these are individuals who have recently participated in elections. While the methods of voter suppression are numerous, from restrictive voter ID laws to the aforementioned purges, to outright intimidation by law enforcement, the message is the same: democracy only matters if the decision is one they like. This undermining of the forms of the democratic process is but one expression of the unrepresentative state of our current system.
To overcome these entrenched powers we need a citizenry that is active and involved in the political process from the local, to the state, to the federal level. It’s only when the people are paying attention to their political representatives, and hold accountable those who do not respect and represent the people that we get a more responsive and representative government. Beyond Don’t Shop on Tuesdays, groups like West Virginia citizen action group, or get money out of Maryland, are examples of how everyday citizenry can become more actively involved in the political process and begin to bridge the divide between representatives and their constituents.
So this November it is critical that we stay informed and vote with our eyes open, not just about the policies of the representatives you vote for, but also the context under which these elections are occurring. We know that part of Project 2025’s plan is to sow confusion and doubt on the election process and to further rob the people of democratic representation. It will take active participation not just leading up to this election, but involvement in politics week in and week out. Together we can build an economic and political cudgel that can support the politicians who are ready to engage in the Democratic process, and drive those who would shield themselves from accountability with unrepresentative donor money out of office. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we fight in the days up to the election and the in the days after for a more representative democracy where everyone is afforded an easy and accessible right to vote.
Don't Shop on Tuesday.
댓글