Voter turnout in the 2016 election was higher than it was in any presidential election in the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s, and it'll likely be higher this year than in any midterm since 1970. Indifference is not the threat we're facing.
Since folks are quibbling, I'm talking about percent of eligible voters, as measured here. But however you cut the numbers, it's not the case that we're in a period of low voter interest. fairvote.org/voter_turnout#…
Democracy is in crisis in the US, but it's not because voter interest is declining. Voter interest has been rising in presidential elections for thirty years, and more or less stable in midterms for longer than that.
The current crisis in American democracy is the result of efforts by the Republican party to suppress voting and break democratic institutions. THAT is the crisis, and the crisis is at a tipping point.
We're not losing democracy in the US because we don't care as a nation. We're losing democracy because we DO care, and because the GOP isn't willing to relinquish power in the face of the popular will.
If the Republican stranglehold on the federal government continues after this election, the crisis will get worse, and it may be too late to recover. It may be too late now. Two weeks from now may be our last chance.
THAT is the reason why voting is vital in this election. That is the existential threat that we need to get across. And that is the reason why democratic mobilization is happening on a scale not seen in my lifetime.
If we fall short in November—or we succeed in November and are crushed anyway—it won't be the fault of the voters. It won't be because of our indifference.
