1) In today’s elections, people who DON’T vote could end up having the biggest impact of all.
Today’s WaPo features numerous interviews with people who are NOT going to vote:
washingtonpost.com/politics/whats…
This is deeply dispiriting stuff.
*Thread*
Today’s WaPo features numerous interviews with people who are NOT going to vote:
washingtonpost.com/politics/whats…
This is deeply dispiriting stuff.
*Thread*
2) What can be done about voter apathy and non-participation?
As @jbouie writes, one big reason people don’t vote is that the system discourages it.
Bouie puts it well: “We will only have a culture of voting and high turnout if we build one.”
slate.com/news-and-polit…
As @jbouie writes, one big reason people don’t vote is that the system discourages it.
Bouie puts it well: “We will only have a culture of voting and high turnout if we build one.”
slate.com/news-and-polit…
@jbouie 3) My new book, “An Uncivil War,” has a lot of reporting on this problem.
Let me share a bit of it with you.
Warning: This, too, is dispiriting.
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
Let me share a bit of it with you.
Warning: This, too, is dispiriting.
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
@jbouie 4) Democratic pollster Celinda Lake has conducted focus groups of nonvoters for many years, in order to determine *why* they sit out elections.
She told me that she found that many of them are surrounded by a culture of nonvoting.
Read this and weep:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
She told me that she found that many of them are surrounded by a culture of nonvoting.
Read this and weep:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
@jbouie 5) Jeremy Bird, who was Barack’s national field director, reported to me that in 2012, the campaign ran into this same culture-of-nonvoting problem over and over again:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
@jbouie 6) Research has shown that lower voter turnout results in an electorate that is unrepresentative of the overall population.
What can be done about this?
One big reform: Automatic Voter Registration
In Oregon, early signs are that it did make the electorate more representative.
What can be done about this?
One big reform: Automatic Voter Registration
In Oregon, early signs are that it did make the electorate more representative.
@jbouie 6) The reason this could really work is fascinating. Obama organizer Jeremy Bird told me enormous resources go into just finding & registering voters.
If people are automatically registered, parties can *intensively, repeatedly* urge them to vote:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
If people are automatically registered, parties can *intensively, repeatedly* urge them to vote:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
7) This is why it will be such a big deal if Dems regain ground in the states.
They can continue implementing such reforms -- and, of course, dismantle voter suppression measures.
All of which is to say:
State elections matter!
Gubernatorial elections matter!
Vote!
FIN
They can continue implementing such reforms -- and, of course, dismantle voter suppression measures.
All of which is to say:
State elections matter!
Gubernatorial elections matter!
Vote!
FIN
*coda*
There's lots and lots of other reporting just like this in the book. So, you know, check it out:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
There's lots and lots of other reporting just like this in the book. So, you know, check it out:
amazon.com/Uncivil-War-De…
