Growing population in America’s highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party. And it’s changing the electoral map going into 2024.
While I agree with all this, the issue is that young people in general are also some of the least likely to go vote. Who cares if you lose the support of a block who isn’t going to vote anyways.
We’re seeing a slow rise in voter participation but even in one of our most active elections ever (midterms 2022 had a whopping 52% participation!), <35% of eligible youth (18-29) actually voted compared to ~58% of 45-64 and ~68% of 65+.
It’s really sad to think about where we could be if just 50% of the youth range had voted in 2020 and 2022, might have had Dems in control of both the house and senate.
Add in that’s why they’re against Mail in voting and making voting day a national holiday like most other countries.
They’re trying to speedrun oligarchy and theocracy, legalize more gerrymandering, and consolidate power because they’re slowly losing votes, and that means this is the best chance they’ll have, for the rest of their party’s existence.
It’s even worse than that. In my state, some polling places are in the lobby of retirement/nursing homes. My polling place is. I have to drive/bike a mile to vote while Gertrude can just roll her Rascal scooter into the elevator and go vote for the loudest person on her TV.
In quite a few states, including mine, we have a pamphlet sent out with all of the people you’re voting for, a picture of them, and their statement of what they’re going to do. You can vote any time and drop it off or mail it in by a certain date to be sure it gets there. You get a tab that has a bar code on it to check if it got there. Every state should have this, this should be federally mandated.
Yes - Vote by Mail is an absolute win for democracy. It’s no secret why the GOP rabidly opposes it.
That said: It’s also difficult to demand at a federal level.
The US Constitution delegates running of elections to the States, though it does allow Congress to claw back that delegation “by appropriate legislation.” You saw some of that regulation in various things like the Voting Rights Act. Congress, if it had the political will, could pass laws to declare how elections are run in all 50 states.
It would be a hard-fought battle, though, and eventually end up in the Supreme Court, which, these days, would laugh, rule 6-3 against it, and say, “Whatta gonna do 'bout it?”
The realistic solution is the long-term one. Everyone needs to vote, not once every 4 years, but in every election, and especially local elections. City, County, and State elections matter more. These are the races that govern your day-to-day lives. Stop electing Republicans to local offices and start electing people who respect our form of government and have, at least, a modicum of honesty, or enough shame to keep their corruption under wraps were we don’t have to know about it.
I agree with everything you said, but honestly we have to try. If we try for the federal level, then everyone will at least know about it. I don’t think some states know enough to fight for it.
Middle aged people turn out to vote and they also have jobs. You do not have an excuse for not voting unless you are physically prevented, eg your town placed voting machines on the second floor of a building with no stairs and you are in a wheel chair, or because it is your conscious choice to not support either candidate.
I’m sick of Democrats whining about young people. They’ve literally never voted at high rates, the fact they you’re even entertaining the idea of 50% turnout is pure fantasy.
The fact is that zoomers vote at higher rates than every other recent generation did at the same age. We wouldn’t have won 2020 without them.
It’s almost like some people are trying to depress turnout with how much pointless whining they do about everyone under the sun… except the DNC and incompetent establishment leadership of course. Somehow low turnout is never their fault.
Why wouldn’t I complain about my fellow peers being slacktivists and not voting? I vote. I encourage my peers to vote. But so many can’t be bothered and then turn around and complain when the GOP wins and passes shit/blocks good legislation. I refuse to be content with <35% turnout just because it’s better than the past. It’s not enough to outvote the older generation which trends conservative, so it’s not enough for me.
Bitch about the DNC suppressing just about all truly progressive candidates who would be more likely to get out the younger vote. It’s not like voting takes place (or doesn’t take place as it may be) in a vacuum.
Oh 100%. I wanted Bernie so bad and won’t forgive them for what they did in 2016 or 2020.
But bitching about the DNC suppressing progressive candidates and bitching about young voters not voting are not mutually exclusive activities. Pretty easy to do both.
Even if people are turned off by the modern DNC, the alternative are fascists. By not voting you’re indirectly supporting the fascists. That’s why we ended up with 4 years of Trump and then barely a majority for the Senate. Now we’ve lost the house. If dem voters could see the bigger picture and hold their nose and vote, we would be in a much better place to be pushing for progressive policy instead of just trying to defend basically civil rights.
Who cares if you lose the support of a block who isn’t going to vote anyways.
It sure looks like Republicans care a lot about making it harder for them to vote. Wonder why, since Democrats keep saying they don’t vote. That certainly couldn’t be a bogus justification for not supporting progressive policy that would appeal to younger voters, could it?
While I agree with all this, the issue is that young people in general are also some of the least likely to go vote. Who cares if you lose the support of a block who isn’t going to vote anyways.
We’re seeing a slow rise in voter participation but even in one of our most active elections ever (midterms 2022 had a whopping 52% participation!), <35% of eligible youth (18-29) actually voted compared to ~58% of 45-64 and ~68% of 65+.
It’s really sad to think about where we could be if just 50% of the youth range had voted in 2020 and 2022, might have had Dems in control of both the house and senate.
Source: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-voter-turnout-data-from-2022-shows-some-surprises-including-lower-turnout-for-youth-women-and-black-americans-in-some-states/
Young people have jobs
Old people are retired.
Voting is on a Tuesday.
One of the underlying reasons for turnout is pretty simple.
Add in that’s why they’re against Mail in voting and making voting day a national holiday like most other countries.
They’re trying to speedrun oligarchy and theocracy, legalize more gerrymandering, and consolidate power because they’re slowly losing votes, and that means this is the best chance they’ll have, for the rest of their party’s existence.
It’s even worse than that. In my state, some polling places are in the lobby of retirement/nursing homes. My polling place is. I have to drive/bike a mile to vote while Gertrude can just roll her Rascal scooter into the elevator and go vote for the loudest person on her TV.
In quite a few states, including mine, we have a pamphlet sent out with all of the people you’re voting for, a picture of them, and their statement of what they’re going to do. You can vote any time and drop it off or mail it in by a certain date to be sure it gets there. You get a tab that has a bar code on it to check if it got there. Every state should have this, this should be federally mandated.
Edit: Also, you can vote naked and in bed.
Yes - Vote by Mail is an absolute win for democracy. It’s no secret why the GOP rabidly opposes it.
That said: It’s also difficult to demand at a federal level.
The US Constitution delegates running of elections to the States, though it does allow Congress to claw back that delegation “by appropriate legislation.” You saw some of that regulation in various things like the Voting Rights Act. Congress, if it had the political will, could pass laws to declare how elections are run in all 50 states.
It would be a hard-fought battle, though, and eventually end up in the Supreme Court, which, these days, would laugh, rule 6-3 against it, and say, “Whatta gonna do 'bout it?”
The realistic solution is the long-term one. Everyone needs to vote, not once every 4 years, but in every election, and especially local elections. City, County, and State elections matter more. These are the races that govern your day-to-day lives. Stop electing Republicans to local offices and start electing people who respect our form of government and have, at least, a modicum of honesty, or enough shame to keep their corruption under wraps were we don’t have to know about it.
I agree with everything you said, but honestly we have to try. If we try for the federal level, then everyone will at least know about it. I don’t think some states know enough to fight for it.
Fkn vote like your life depends on it. It does. Call on sick if you have to.
You cannot be prevented from voting. Your job can be held liable if they try to stop it.
Which means exactly nothing in an at-will work environment like most states in the US
What? Voting is on a tuesday. Why on earth is that?
historic reasons. Of course one party will definitely fight tooth and nail against any attempt to change that
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/7
Because that’s when the law says
last daysit is.It’s Tuesday because a bunch of farmers had to travel a long way (2+ days) to the town for polls, and we can’t have them miss church on Sunday.
edit: never trust mobile autocorrect
It’s always on a Tuesday.
Middle aged people turn out to vote and they also have jobs. You do not have an excuse for not voting unless you are physically prevented, eg your town placed voting machines on the second floor of a building with no stairs and you are in a wheel chair, or because it is your conscious choice to not support either candidate.
I’m sick of Democrats whining about young people. They’ve literally never voted at high rates, the fact they you’re even entertaining the idea of 50% turnout is pure fantasy.
The fact is that zoomers vote at higher rates than every other recent generation did at the same age. We wouldn’t have won 2020 without them.
It’s almost like some people are trying to depress turnout with how much pointless whining they do about everyone under the sun… except the DNC and incompetent establishment leadership of course. Somehow low turnout is never their fault.
Why wouldn’t I complain about my fellow peers being slacktivists and not voting? I vote. I encourage my peers to vote. But so many can’t be bothered and then turn around and complain when the GOP wins and passes shit/blocks good legislation. I refuse to be content with <35% turnout just because it’s better than the past. It’s not enough to outvote the older generation which trends conservative, so it’s not enough for me.
Bitch about the DNC suppressing just about all truly progressive candidates who would be more likely to get out the younger vote. It’s not like voting takes place (or doesn’t take place as it may be) in a vacuum.
Oh 100%. I wanted Bernie so bad and won’t forgive them for what they did in 2016 or 2020.
But bitching about the DNC suppressing progressive candidates and bitching about young voters not voting are not mutually exclusive activities. Pretty easy to do both.
Even if people are turned off by the modern DNC, the alternative are fascists. By not voting you’re indirectly supporting the fascists. That’s why we ended up with 4 years of Trump and then barely a majority for the Senate. Now we’ve lost the house. If dem voters could see the bigger picture and hold their nose and vote, we would be in a much better place to be pushing for progressive policy instead of just trying to defend basically civil rights.
Ribbit
It sure looks like Republicans care a lot about making it harder for them to vote. Wonder why, since Democrats keep saying they don’t vote. That certainly couldn’t be a bogus justification for not supporting progressive policy that would appeal to younger voters, could it?