The Get Out the Vote committee believes voting allows for the possibility of positive change and that young people can lead the way. According to the last census, Millennials and Generation Z will comprise 44% of all American voters in 2024. The Voter Participation Center reports that The New American Majority — young people, people of color and unmarried women — is 150 million people strong. They represent 64% of the people who are eligible to vote in America.
In every election, whether voter turnout is high or low, SOMEONE is elected and they end up with the power to make decisions that affect all of us — those we like and those we don’t.
“Our community has, historically, been one of the communities with the lowest voter registration and voter turnout rates. In recent years, this has changed and we are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with at the ballot box.”
“My grandfather, who passed away when he was 104, always emphasized, ‘Take care of business or the business of others will take care of you,’” Clement said. “In other words, political choices are being made every day that involve you, whether you know it or not, so you want to be involved and influence what’s happening with your freedom and your rights.”
“Each of the authors of this article, currently or in the past, has not had that right because of legal disenfranchisement. As we’ve explored the importance of voting, we’ve recognized that the challenges to engaging in this civic duty extend well beyond being legally barred from doing so. We also live the reality that there are multiple ways to commit to changemaking which expand beyond voting. Yet we cannot help but recognize that informed and consistent voting can be a quick and sure way to make immediate headway towards more inclusive policy and government accountability.”
“In fact, time and again, historically marginalized communities have come together to change the course of democracy, including in very recent history. Black voters in Georgia elected the first-ever Jewish and Black senators to serve the state in 2021, and, in 2018, a record-setting number of women were electedto office throughout the United States. 2020 saw the highest turnout of voters of color in American history and Gen-Z, voters ages 18-24, had a lot to do with this. While older voters still turned out in the largest numbers, Gen-Z voters had the greatest turnout increase since 2016, demonstrating their potential to create massive change.”
“In 2000, Al Gore narrowly lost the Electoral College vote to George W. Bush. The election came down to a recount in Florida, where Bush had won the popular vote by such a small margin that it triggered an automatic recount and a Supreme Court case (Bush v. Gore). In the end, Bush won Florida by 0.009 percent of the votes cast in the state, or 537 votes. Had 600 more pro-Gore voters gone to the polls in Florida that November, there may have been an entirely different president from 2000–2008.”
“In 2017, there was a city council election in Troy, New York that was determined by one vote, just one. While an election being determined by a single vote is a rare occurrence, the fact of the matter is that local elections can run incredibly close. And local governments can have a greater impact on people's lives than you might think. Local government can affect things like what your commute is like, what housing gets built in your neighborhood, your property taxes, policing. Despite this, local elections tend to be the ones that people pay the least amount of attention to.”
“Voting is how we make our voices heard and use our power in our democracy. But across the country, Black communities are facing targeted attacks like racist voter suppression laws and disinformation campaigns. And this comes on top of decades of systemic inequities that make it harder for Black voters to cast a ballot.”
“Rights are not necessarily guaranteed. Voting is one of the many privileges of living in a democratic society. While every American citizen has the right to vote today, we are seeing attacks on voting equity, including gerrymandering, voting restrictions, misinformation and election intimidation. Voting is a critical right we must protect, and that begins by exercising our right to vote in elections at every level of government.”
“This episode explores the diversity of perspectives within what is often referred to as the "Latino Vote", some of the historical context that has shaped Latin/e/x voter perspectives, and why these perspectives matter. Host Oscar Lázaro leads a discussion with student voters from across the country to develop keen insight and analysis into this under-discussed topic.”
“The group stressed the importance of voting engagement among Black men and its direct impact on support for issues like addressing mass incarceration and student loan debt. Several council members underscored how engaging with local elections directly affects how funding is disbursed to different districts in the city.”
“Think your one vote can’t make a difference? Think again! Many elections are won by fewer votes than you might imagine — even by as little as one vote. Here are some recent federal, state and local elections that were decided by a thin margin of votes.”
