1   Voter  turnout  in  the  U.S.   by  Dr.  Jacqueline  Siapno1         “Voter  turnout  is  always  high  among  the  affluent  and  low  among  those  who  are   less  educated  and  have  lower  income.  While  the  upper  class  votes,  the   underclass  often  feels  powerless  and  neglects  to  exercise  this  right.  Perhaps  the   lack  of  political  action  among  the  poor  can  be  attributed  to  their  daily  struggle  to   survive.  Being  poor  is  difficult,  especially  in  a  place  where  the  contrasts  with   affluence  are  highly  visible…Most  political  leaders  rarely  talk  about  the   consequences  of  the  continuing  income  disparity,  and  some  believe  that  poverty   is  solely  the  result  of  individual  choices  rather  than  social  policy.”  (Mona  Field,   California  Government  and  Politics  Today,  2013,  p.  133).2                                                                                                                    Talk,  Sacramento.  Dr.  Jacqueline  Siapno  has  taught  as  as  a  Lecturer  in  Global  Economics  and   Security  at  UC  Irvine,  Sociology  at  California  State  University,  Sacramento,  Southeast  Asian   Studies  at  UC  Berkeley,  as  an  Assistant  Professor  of  Political  Science  and  Asian  Studies  at   University  of  Melbourne,  Australia,  and  Associate  Professor  at  the  Graduate  School  of   International  Studies,  Seoul  National  University,  Korea.  This  paper  is  based  on  her  observations   as  an  independent  scholar  and  her  practical  experience  as  an  election  official  in  California  and  a   campaign  strategist  in  East  Timor  (Timor  Leste).   2  Mona  Field,  California  Government  and  Politics  Today,  Fourteenth  Edition,  Pearson  Publishing,   2013.   1    2     “After  a  hard-­‐fought,  decades-­‐long  campaign,  American  women  finally  won  the  right  to  vote  in   1920.”  Source:  We  the  People:  A  Concise  Introduction  to  American  Politics,  Thomas  E.  Patterson,   New  York:  McGraw  Hill,  Inc.,  2013,  10th  edition,  p.  217.       Why  is  it  important  to  study  voter  turnout  in  the  U.S.  and  the  world?  What  can   voter  turnout  tell  us,  for  example,  about  state-­society  relations,  political  participation,   and  satisfaction  or  disapproval  of  the  U.S.  government  and  status  quo?  What  are  the   methodologies,  paradigms,  and  sources  we  need  to  analyze  in  order  to  understand  the   processes  of  voter  turnout  in  the  U.S.,  as  independent  thinkers?  (see  powerpoint   slides).  What  are  some  of  the  factors  that  various  scholars  have  identified  to  help  us   understand  how  or  why  people  vote  or  not  vote?  1.  Social  Background;;  2.  The  Political      3   Environment,  Mobilization,  and  Competition  (National,  State,  County,  City,  Local   community  levels);;  3.  State  Electoral  Laws;;  4.  Global  Comparative  Analysis.     According  to  Ginsberg  et.al.:       “Americans  with  higher  levels  of  education,  more  income,  and  higher-­level   occupations  –  collectively,  what  social  scientists  call  higher  socioeconomic   status  –  participate  much  more  in  politics  than  do  those  with  low  education  and   less  income.  Education  level  is  the  single  most  important  factor  in  predicting   whether  an  individual  will  vote  or  engage  in  most  other  kinds  of  participation.   Income  is  an  important  factor  (not  surprisingly)  when  it  comes  to  people  making   campaign  contributions.  Those  with  money,  time,  and  capacity  to  participate   effectively  in  the  political  system  are  more  likely  to  do  so.  Other  individual   characteristics  also  affect  participation.  For  example,  African  Americans,  Asian   Americans,  and  Latinos  are  less  likely  to  participate  than  are  whites,  although   when  differences  in  education  and  income  are  taken  into  account,  African   Americans  participate  at  similar  levels  to  whites.  Finally,  young  people  are  far   less  likely  to  participate  in  politics  than  are  older  people.  Individuals  with  strong   partisan  ties  to  one  of  the  major  political  parties  are  more  likely  to  vote  than   nonpartisans  or  independents.”  (Ginsberg  et.al.  2017:  pp.222).3     What  can  we  infer  from  this  and  other  scholarly  analyses?  How  do  we  interpret   these  and  other  data?  Is  `technical  data’  and  results  `neutral’?4     One  interpretation  is  that  if  socioeconomic  and  educational  status  are  important   factors,  then  disadvantaged,  under-­represented,  and  marginalized  groups  who  need  the                                                                                                                Ginsberg,  Lowi,  Weir,  Tolbert,  Spitzer,  We  the  People,  Eleventh  Edition.  New  York,  N.Y.:  W.W.   Norton  &  Company,  Inc.,  2017.   4  See  for  example:  https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/12statab/election.pdf   https://www.fairvote.org/voter_turnout#voter_turnout_101;   Source:  A  Boatload  Of  Ballots:  Midterm  Voter  Turnout  Hit  50-­‐Year  High,  NPR,  November  8,   2018:  49.3%  in  2018:   https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665197690/a-­‐boatload-­‐of-­‐ballots-­‐midterm-­‐voter-­‐turnout-­‐ hit-­‐50-­‐year-­‐high   https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/voter-­‐turnout-­‐trends-­‐around-­‐the-­‐ world.pdf   U.S.  trails  most  developed  countries  in  voter  turnout:  55.7%  Voting-­‐age  population  or  VAP  in   2016   http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-­‐tank/2018/05/21/u-­‐s-­‐voter-­‐turnout-­‐trails-­‐most-­‐developed-­‐ countries/     3    4   most  support  are  also  the  most  dis-­empowered  and  voiceless  in  this  structure.  Read  for   example,  Paulo  Freire’s  Pedagogy  of  the  Oppressed  (Pedagogia  do  Oprimido).5     Another  study  by  Magleby  et.al.,  argues  that:  “About  40%  of  all  eligible  citizens   fail  to  vote.  This  amounts  to  approximately  80  million  people.”  (Magleby  et.al.,  2011,   p.229).6  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  people  don’t  vote?  Who  are  the  people  who   don’t  vote  even  when  they  are  eligible?       Historically,  voter  turnout  in  the  U.S.  has  been  decreasing  since  the  mid-­1800s   (see  ppt.  slides).7           Source:  Magleby  et.al.  2011,  p.225.     But  recently,  in  the  November  2018  mid-­term  elections,  there  is  a  historic   increase  in  women,  Latinos,  scientists,  African-­Americans,  Native  Americans,  young   people,  and  other  groups  voting.8  For  example,  according  to  several  news  sources,                                                                                                                First  published  in  Portuguese  in  1968,  Pedagogy  of  the  Oppressed  was  translated  and   published  in  English  in  1970.  Published  by  Continuum,  2000  (30th  Anniversary  Edition).     6  Magleby,  Light,  Nemacheck,  Government  by  the  People,  2011  Alternate  Edition,  New  Jersey:   Longman  and  Pearson  Education,  Inc.  2011.     7  See:  https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/12statab/election.pdf     8  See:  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-­‐tank/2018/11/08/the-­‐2018-­‐midterm-­‐vote-­‐divisions-­‐ by-­‐race-­‐gender-­‐education/     5    5   Latino  voter  turnout  surged  174%  in  the  recent  November  2018  Midterm  elections.9   What  happened?  How  do  we  interpret  this  phenomena?         Source:  Ginsberg  et.al.  2017,  p.221.     According  to  NPR,  "Almost  half  of  possible  voters  actually  voted"  might  not   sound  impressive.  But  for  a  U.S.  midterm  election,  it's  a  whopping  figure.  Compare   that  with  just  36.7  percent  in  2014,  and  41  percent  in  2010.  That's  the  highest   turnout  for  a  midterm  since  1966,  when  49  percent  of  the  population  showed  up  to   vote.  All  told,  more  than  110  million  Americans  cast  a  ballot  for  their  congressional   representative  in  Tuesday's  midterm  elections,  according  to  a  Wednesday  estimate   from  the  Election  Project.”10                                                                                                                     9  See:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-­‐say-­‐latino-­‐turnout-­‐in-­‐2018-­‐was-­‐up-­‐174-­‐ percent-­‐over-­‐2014-­‐midterms   10  Source:  A  Boatload  Of  Ballots:  Midterm  Voter  Turnout  Hit  50-­‐Year  High,  NPR,  November  8,   2018.  See:  https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665197690/a-­‐boatload-­‐of-­‐ballots-­‐midterm-­‐voter-­‐ turnout-­‐hit-­‐50-­‐year-­‐high        6   Comparatively,  when  compared  to  other  countries  globally,  in  particular  Belgium,   Sweden,  Denmark,  Australia,  South  Korea,  Brazil,  The  Netherlands,  New  Zealand,   Germany,  U.K,  and  many  others,  voter  turnout  in  the  U.S.  is  low.  What  explains  the  low   turnout  in  the  U.S.  case?           Source:  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-­tank/2018/05/21/u-­s-­voter-­turnout-­trails-­most-­ developed-­countries/        7        8   Source:  Ginsberg  et.al.  2017,  p.224.       Some  scholars  suggest  several  reasons  for  the  comparatively  low  turnout:  the   fact  that  there  hasn’t  been  a  strong  tradition  of  socialist  and  labor  parties  in  the  U.S.  to   fight  for  low-­income  peoples  rights  means  that  there  is  no  party  to  mobilize  them  to  vote;;   the  fact  that  voting  happens  during  the  working  weekday  instead  of  weekend  (as  in   other  countries);;  in  other  countries  voting  is  compulsory/  mandatory  and  citizens  are   fined  if  they  don’t  vote;;  that  logistically,  in  other  countries  the  state  is  responsible  for   registering  voters,  unlike  the  U.S.  where  the  individual  voter  must  register  on  their  own   (and  there  are  several  obstacles  to  registration  and  voter  ID  checking  for  Native   Americans,  African  Americans,  and  other  groups,  and  others),  to  name  only  a  few  of  the   obstacles.     There  are  structural  obstacles  and  challenges  to  elections  and  electoral  reform  in   the  U.S.  and  other  countries,  in  addition  to  technical  and  logistical  ones.  I’ve  written   about  this  in  the  context  of  Timor  Leste.11  In  the  U.S.  it  includes  things  like  Russian   intervention  in  the  past  Presidential  election,  voter  suppression  in  Georgia  and  other   states,  logistical  challenges  for  Native  Americans  to  vote  because  of  lack  of  street   addresses  where  they  live,  Facebook  and  other  private  companies  not  regulating   certain  groups  to  run  campaign  ads  intervening  in  elections,  to  name  but  a  few.  In  the   past  month,  I  worked  as  an  Election  Official  in  a  California  County  and  witnessed  first-­ hand  the  everyday  technical  and  logistical  challenges  to  voters  and  voter  turnout.  At  the   level  of  the  local  county  and  state,  and  at  the  national  level,  what  are  the  obstacles?   What  is  the  role  of  technology?  And  are  machines  and  technology  `neutral’  and  error   free?  What  happens  when  you  add  human  error  on  top  of  the  technological  errors?   What  is  the  role  of  digital  technology  when  it  comes  to  mobilization  and  voter  turnout?   What  kind  of  impact  does  technology  have  on  voter  turnout,  elections,  and  democracy?     What  are  the  other  challenges  and  obstacles  to  voters  turning  out  to  vote,  state   to  state,  county  to  county,  city  to  city?  My  goal  is  not  so  much  to  provide  all  the  answers   (because  I  am  also  still  grappling  with  them),  but  to  produce  questions  that  provoke   students  of  U.S.  government  to  think  critically  and  explore  all  the  possible  new  answers   using  different  methodologies,  paradigms,  and  sources  by  thinking  independently   `outside  the  box’.12  Here  are  a  few  challenges  to  reflect  on:                                                                                                                 11  See  for  example:  “The  True  Cost  of  Elections  in  Timor  Leste/  East  Timor:     https://www.academia.edu/36550956/The_True_Costs_of_Elections_in_Timor_Leste_East_Ti mor     12  See  for  example:  https://www.fairvote.org/voter_turnout#voter_turnout_101;   https://www.fairvote.org/fairvote_in_the_news;   https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/voter-­‐turnout-­‐trends-­‐around-­‐the-­‐ world.pdf;  https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-­‐us-­‐government-­‐and-­‐politics/political-­‐ participation/voter-­‐turnout/v/voter-­‐turnout        9   In  ”The  Key  to  Unblocking  Black  Voting  Rights:  Vigilant  Administration  of  Civil   Rights  Laws,”  Kernell  et.al.  show  that  vigilant  administration  of  Civil  Rights  Laws  and   voting  rights,  especially  in  the  southern  states  increased  voter  turnout.         Source:  Kernell,  Jacobson,  Kousser,  Vavreck,  The  Logic  of  American  Politics,   Edition  7,  CQ  Press,  an  Imprint  of  SAGE  Publications,  2016,  p.151.           “Paradoxically,  given  their  greater  need  for  government  help,  lower  income   Americans  are  the  least  likely  to  vote  or  to  otherwise  engage  in  collective  action.   They  lack  the  financial  resources  and  communication  skills  that  encourage   participation  in  politics  and  make  it  personally  rewarding.  As  a  consequence,   their  political  influence  is  relatively  limited.  In  Unequal  Democracy,  Larry  Bartels   demonstrates  that  elected  officials  are  substantially  more  responsive  to  the   concerns  of  their  more  affluent  constituents  than  to  those  of  their  poorer   constituents.  In  other  words,  the  pattern  of  individual  political  participation  in  the   United  States  parallels  the  distribution  of  influence  that  prevails  in  the  private      10   sector.  Those  who  have  the  most  power  in  the  marketplace  also  have  the  most   power  in  the  political  arena.”  (Patterson  2013:  p.238).13             Source:  We  the  People:  A  Concise  Introduction  to  American  Politics,  Thomas  E.   Patterson,  New  York:  McGraw  Hill,  2013,  p.222                                                                                                                 13  Thomas  E.  Patterson,  We  the  People:  A  Concise  Introduction  to  American  Politics,  Tenth   Edition,  New  York:  McGraw-­‐Hill,  2013,  p.238.      11         Electoral  College  and  the  Popular  Vote:          “Keyssar  says  that  many  on  the  political  right  fear  a  surge  in  voter  participation   in  coastal  states  if  a  switch  to  a  popular-­vote  system  were  made.  The  nightmare   for  conservatives  is  that  “with  the  national  popular  vote,  an  extra  10  million   people  or  50  million  people  will  come  out  of  the  woodwork  in  New  York  or  Illinois   or  California  and  drown  the  rest  of  the  electorate.”  But  there’s  no  reason  to   believe  that  would  happen,  he  says.  Supporters  of  the  national  popular  vote   frequently  argue  that  voter  turnout  would  rise  in  non-­battleground  states  without   the  Electoral  College,  but  there  isn’t  any  reason  to  think  that  would  be  more  true   of  voters  in  blue  states  than  red  states.”14       At  the  level  of  the  cities  and  counties,  for  example,  look  at  what  happened  in  one     County,  which  is  a  Republican  stronghold:  three  women  candidates  (Democrats)   running  (but  fragmented)  and  were  not  able  to  flip  the  seat  that  has  been  held  by  a   Republican  for  several  terms  now.  What  lessons  can  be  learned  from  that  experience?   One  of  the  female  candidates  is  a  Political  Science  professor,  but  even  with  all  the   Political  Science  training,  she  lost  to  the  other  female  candidate  who  came  in  second   place,  who  then  finally  lost  to  the  Republican  incumbent.  Surely  there  are  a  lot  of   lessons  to  be  learned  from  that?  What  are  they?                                                                                                                    Source:  https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/electoral-­college-­gives-­ trump-­and-­gop   boost/576448/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-­ daily-­newsletter&utm_content=20181123&silverid-­ref=MzIxODYxNjEzOTI3S0     14    12     Source:  Placer  County  Election  Office.       Scholars  and  analysts,  including  Thomas  Patterson  (2013)  and  others  offer  the   following  analyses  and  solutions:     Some  obstacles,  challenges,  and  possible  solutions:     1.   Registration  process:  “The  United  States  –  in  keeping  with  its  individualistic   culture  -­-­  is  one  of  the  few  democracies  in  which  registration  is  the  individual’s   responsibility…Scholars  estimate  that  turnout  would  be  roughly  ten  percentage   points  higher  in  the  U.S.  if  it  had  European-­style  registration.  States  with  a   tradition  of  convenient  registration  laws  have  higher  turnout  than  other  states.  A   few  states,  including  Idaho,  Maine,  and  Minnesota,  allow  people  to  register  at   their  polling  places  on  Election  Day.  Their  turnout  rates  are  are  than  10   percentage  points  above  the  national  average.  States  with  the  most  restrictive   registration  laws…several  of  these  states  are  in  the  South…have  the  lowest   turnout  rate  of  any  region.”  (Patterson  2013:  p.219).     2.   Voter  Identification  Cards  (government-­issued  photo  IDs):  “Georgia’s  law   requires  citizens  without  a  government-­issued  photo  ID,  such  as  a  driver’s   license  or  passport,  to  obtain  a  voter  identification  card,  which  would  cost  them   twenty  dollars  and  expire  after  five  years.  To  obtain  the  card,  they  had  to  go  to  a   Department  of  Motor  Vehicles  office  and  present  a  certified  copy  of  their  birth   certificate  and  other  documents.  Georgia  Democrats  challenged  the  law,  citing   scholarly  studies  that  have  found  that  fraudulent  voting  due  to  false  identity        13   claims  is  rare.  A  federal  judge  invalidated  Georgia’s  twenty-­dollar  fee   requirement,  which  the  Georgia  legislature  then  eliminated  while  retaining  the   photo  ID  requirement.       “African  Americans  were  disenfranchised  throughout  the  South  by  intimidation   and  electoral  trickery,  including  rigged  literacy  tests  as  a  precondition  of  being   allowed  to  register  to  vote.  The  tests  contained  questions  so  difficult  that  often   the  examiner  had  to  look  up  the  answers.”  (Patterson  2013:  p.  217)     3.   Frequency  of  elections:  too  often  and  too  many,  compared  to  other  countries;;     4.   “Another  factor  affecting  voter  turnout  rate  in  the  United  States  is  the  absence  of   a  major  labor  or  socialist  party,  which  would  serve  to  bring  lower-­income  citizens   to  the  polls...In  democracies  where  such  parties  exist,  the  turnout  difference   between  upper-­  and  lower-­income  groups  is  relatively  small.  In  the  U.S.,  the  gap   in  the  turnout  levels  of  lower-­and  upper-­income  persons  is  substantial;;     5.   Does  the  party  system  affect  turnout?  Other  countries  with  more  significant   political  parties  to  choose  from  (e.g.  Green  Party,  etc.,  besides  just  two  –   Democrat  and  Republican),  and  who  have  a  proportional  representation  system   (where  parties  get  legislative  seats  according  to  their  percentage  of  the  total   vote),  instead  of  a  plurality  system  where  representatives  are  chosen  by   legislative  district  (with  the  winner  in  each  district  getting  the  seat),  have  higher   voter  turnout.  People  seem  to  be  more  inclined  to  vote  when  they  have  more   choices,  and  when  the  outcome  is  not  so  lopsided  that  it  is  a  forgone  conclusion;;     6.   Compulsory,  mandatory  voting:  William  Galston  of  the  University  of  Maryland   notes  that  “some  democracies  including  Australia  and  Italy,  require  citizens  to   vote  or  pay  a  fine.  These  countries  have  exceptionally  high  turnout  levels.  `Our   low  turnout  rate,’  Galston  says,  `pushes  American  politics  toward  increased   polarization.’”  (Patterson  2013:  p.228).     “Alarmed  at  a  sharp  turnout  decline  early  in  the  20th  century  —  bottoming  out  at   around  60%,  it’s  worth  noting  —  Australia  settled  on  a  drastic  remedy:  requiring   that  voters  vote.  Politics  professor  Lisa  Hill  of  the  University  of  Adelaide  said   parliamentary  debate  on  the  matter  took  just  15  minutes.  (Belgium,  Brazil  and   Turkey,  according  to  Vox,  are  other  countries  that  have  taken  the  same  step.   The  Netherlands  enacted  but  later  dropped  mandatory  voting.)     In  an  interview  with  the  Vox  podcast  Today  Explained,  Hill  said  one  key  factor   in  Australia’s  success  in  boosting  turnout  is  that  elections  are  held  on  Saturdays.   “It’s  a  festive  sort  of  occasion,”  she  said,  replete  with  sausage  sizzles.  “It’s   mandatory  and  a  big  party,  mate.”15                                                                                                               15  Source:  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/midterm-­voter-­turnout-­was-­highest-­in-­a-­ century-­but-­us-­wont-­be-­confused-­with-­australia-­any-­time-­soon-­2018-­11-­21      14     7.   Weekend  elections  instead  of  Tuesday,  workday.  Improve  Vote-­By-­Mail  (VBM)   process.         For  example,  on  the  topic  of  `curing  ballots’  and  technical,  logistical  obstacles,     analysts  write:             “In  2016,  Walker  ruled  that  Florida  must  allow  voters  whose  signatures  have   been  flagged  to  “cure”  their  ballots  by  proving  their  identities.  But  the  solution   Florida  has  provided,  he  wrote  on  Thursday,  is  “illusory,”  and  “fails  to   meaningfully  protect  the  right  to  vote.”  The  state  permits  voters  to  cure  their   ballots  up  until  5  p.m.  on  the  day  before  the  election.  Yet  canvassers  may  begin   counting  absentee  ballots  on  or  after  Election  Day.  Moreover,  under  Florida  law,   voters  unable  to  prove  their  ability  to  vote  on  Election  Day  can  cast  provisional   ballots,  then  submit  the  necessary  materials  shortly  after.  But  if  officials  find  a   signature  “mismatch,”  these  individuals—between  four  and  five  thousand  voters   who  cast  absentee  and  provisional  ballots—have  no  chance  to  cure  their   ballots.”16         Is  there  hope  that  democracy  is  not  dead?  How  do  democracies  die?  17     Hope  comes  from  new  faces  and  “firsts”.  For  the  first  time,  hundreds  of  women,     scientists,  and  other  groups  not  only  turned  out  to  vote,  but  ran  for  political  office.18   What  are  some  of  their  motivations?                                                                                                                 16  Source:  https://slate.com/news-­and-­politics/2018/11/florida-­ruling-­mismatching-­ signatures.html?     17  For  a  fascinating  reading,  see  for  example  How  Democracies  Die  by  Steven  Levitsky  and   Daniel  Ziblatt,  Crown  Publisher,  2018.     18  See:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/midterm-­‐elections-­‐2018-­‐hundreds-­‐of-­‐candidates-­‐ with-­‐science-­‐backgrounds-­‐are-­‐running-­‐2018-­‐11-­‐03/        15     Source:  Facebook  post  by  women,  “New  Faces  of  Congress”.         “Some  95  women  have  won,  or  are  projected  to  win,  their  House  races  as  of   Wednesday,  which  is  up  from  the  current  84  women  in  the  House.  In  addition,  at   least  13  women  won  Senate  seats.  That's  on  top  of  the  10  female  senators  who   were  not  up  for  re-­election  this  year…  Among  the  notable  names  on  the  new   House  roster:  Deb  Haaland  of  New  Mexico  and  Sharice  Davids  of  Kansas  are   the  first  Native  American  women  elected  to  Congress,  and  Rashida  Tlaib   and  Ilhan  Omar  will  be  the  first  Muslim  women  in  the  House.  Alexandria  Ocasio-­ Cortez  of  New  York  and  Abby  Finkenauer  of  Iowa,  both  29,  will  become  the   youngest  women  to  serve  in  the  House…Other  firsts:  In  Texas,  Veronica   Escobar  and  Sylvia  Garcia  became  the  first  Latinas  to  represent  the  state  in   Congress.  Jahana  Hayes  of  Connecticut  and  Ayanna  Pressley  of  Massachusetts   also  became  the  first  women  of  color  elected  to  represent  their  respective   states.”19     More  possible  solutions                                                                                                                   19  See:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/record-­number-­of-­women-­to-­serve-­in-­house-­ congress-­2018-­midterm-­elections/        16   Restoring  and  expanding  the  Voting  Rights  Act:         “During  this  year’s  midterm  elections,  politicians  denied  millions  their  sacred  right   to  vote  through  racist  gerrymandering,  reckless  voter  purges,  and  burdensome   lines  to  vote  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina.  Even  though  some  gains  were  made,   hundreds  of  polling  stations  remained  closed,  felony  disenfranchisement  persists,   and  new  restrictive  voter  ID  laws  and  other  forms  of  racist  voter  suppression  are   curtailing  this  basic  right.  Whether  you’re  in  Georgia,  Kansas  or  North  Dakota,   these  attacks  target  poor  communities  of  color,  but  have  broad  impact  among  the   poor.  We’ve  found  that  states  that  suppress  votes  have  the  lowest  wages,  the   least  environmental  protections,  the  most  uninsured  people,  and  the  greatest   attacks  on  immigrants,  LGBTQ  people  and  women.That’s  why  our  next  visit  is  to   Capitol  Hill,  where  on  December  5,  we’ll  return  for  the  third  time  this  year   to  demand  our  politicians  protect  our  voting  rights  and  address  the  voter   suppression  we  saw  in  2018  across  the  country.  This  means  immediately   restoring  and  expanding  the  Voting  Rights  Act,  ending  racist  gerrymandering,   implementing  automatic  voter  registration  at  the  age  of  18,  making  Election  Day   a  holiday  and  extending  the  right  to  vote  to  all  current  and  formerly  incarcerated   people.”20         Concluding  remarks     What  lessons  can  we  learn  from  this  recent  Midterm  Election  of  November  2018?   What  are  some  of  the  questions  we  should  be  asking?  What  are  the  lessons  we  haven’t   learned?  How  can  the  most  disadvantaged  and  under-­represented  in  this  community,   and  in  this  system  be  more  empowered  to  change  it?  Is  voter  turnout  the  only  way,   and/or  the  most  effective  way  towards  social-­political-­economic-­ecological  change?  If   not,  what  other  means  are  necessary  if  democracy  is  to  survive  and  thrive?  What  are   the  tools  we  need  to  understand  what  citizenship  means  and  how  to  use  that  power  if   we  want  to  be  agents  of  change?21                                                                                                                 20  Source:  Poor  People’s  Campaign     21  See  for  example:  10  things  we  learned  from  the  midterm  elections:   https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/417872-­‐10-­‐things-­‐we-­‐learned-­‐in-­‐the-­‐ midterms?rnd=1542989354/?userid=162889;  Getting  Money  out  of  Politics:   https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/nyregion/campaign-­‐finance-­‐reform-­‐new-­‐ york.html?emc=edit_th_181123&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=699097731123   More  independents,  increasing  independent  spaces;  The  limits  of  political  theorizing  and   polarization:  “Illinois  Democrat  Cheri  Bustos,  L.A.  Ties,  Nov.  22,  2018,  Thanksgiving  Day”:   http://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-­‐e58e-­‐48b5-­‐ 8e0c-­‐236bf740270e;  see  also  “Inequality  Media”  videos  and  podcasts.