As Joe Biden’s lead in Georgia grows we have one person to thank, Stacey Abrams. Well actually Stacey Abrams and her band of Black female voting rights advocates, elected officials and community organizers. These women recognized the severe voter suppression present in the state for the past 20 years and opted to change that in the 2020 election.
This comes after Abrams’ devastatingly close loss in 2018 which made it clear that Georgia could flip blue if enough attention was put in place to alter the long history of conservative efforts to suppress democratic voters in the state. The coalition of Abrams and her supporters worked to engage voters, specifically disengaged voters of color rather than focusing on the popular tactic to flip moderate white voters blue. Clearly this tactic proved to be promising seeing as she engaged and registered 800,000 new voters in just the past year. Abrams told POLITICO shortly before Election Day; “Only the message is not trying to persuade them to share Democratic values. Your message is to persuade them that voting can actually yield change.”
Democrats had been trying to flip Georgia blue for the past two decades but have been unsuccessful until Thursday night when Georgia flipped by a margin of 600 votes that has since grown to 12,000, further echoing Stacey’s initiative to convince voters that their vote truely does yield change.
Her new project will be the January run-off elections in Georgia. She has already developed plans to encourage voters to request their ballots and to vote, urging communities of color to voice their vote. Without Abrams and her New Georgia Project it is unlikely that 1 million more voters would have turned out since 2016 and that Biden would have won the state of Georgia.
Questions to Ponder:
Do you think voter suppression is a big issue in the United States and if so how can we resolve this?
Links:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/08/stacey-abrams-believers-georgia-blue-434985
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stacey-abrams-voter-suppression-georgia-election/
16 comments:
I believe that voter suppression is a huge issue in the United States. To solve it, there would be many possible ways to do so; either abolishing the electoral college, or making voting much easier. Abolishing the electoral college might be a very hard task to accomplish, simply because it has been tried before and been unsuccessful. Senators in the South frowned upon it in 1969, and it hasn't been tried again. Another solution would to make voting easier by increasing the amount of polling stations. In Texas, for example, polling stations have been reduced by at least 50% in some parts of the state. Increasing the places where voters can participate will overall help with voter suppression, and maybe someday eliminating the electoral college.
Abrams' work in Georgia sets a precedent for future registration of citizens to vote, especially amongst minorities. One of the major problems that the United States faces is a lack of voter turnout during elections, and especially during midterms elections. Abrams has set an example of what should be done in the rest of the country in order to get more people to turn up to vote during elections and have their areas better represented in government. However, voter turnout is not the only problem that people face in terms of representation. Gerrymandering is a major issue in many places and is often used to either benefit one party over another or weaken the impact of minority voters. Abolishing systems that allow for Gerrymandering to occur would help to solve this issue, yet this is difficult as many incumbents parties that represent minorities that have consolidated power through Gerrymandering will be likely to block or otherwise oppose such changes. Hopefully, Abrams will be able to expand her work to get people to vote and others will follow her lead in working to get the country as a whole more politically involved.
I agree with Ian that gerrymandering is also a very serious issue, and I would argue even more serious than voter suppression or voter turnout. For example, if you could get every single eligible minority voter in Georgia to go vote, but if they're all gerrymandered into a single district then their representation is still suppressed even though they voted. Gerrymandering would be a lot more difficult to fix though: as we read before, some possible solutions include a non-partisan judicial committee to draw the borders, or even a computer algorithm to calculate optimal borders.
Nevertheless, district borders have little to no effect on the presidential election, and every effort that Abrams put into getting more votes for Biden helped him just barely win Georgia's electoral votes.
The work of Stacey Abrams and her supporters is reminiscent of the “Freedom Summer” voter registration drive back in the ‘60s, reminding us that the fight for true equality at the polls and true representation has been a long struggle, and is by no means over. Like Ian and Brandon mention, there are many hurdles that people of color (especially from underprivileged communities) have to face in the voting process, such as voter ID laws that discourage people of these groups from voting due to the significant costs of obtaining a government issued ID. But, it is because of the driven, committed organization like Abrams’ that amplifies those voices. No doubt that in the coming months we will see an influx of money, volunteering, and organization in Georgia as the run-off elections in order to raise support for the Democratic candidates. And although Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock did not win the majority of votes in the special election, he did receive the most votes, making him on track to be Georgia’s first Black Senator this coming January, which would bring much needed representation for a state in which almost half the population consists of minority groups.
I think that voter suppression is still a rampant issue within the United States among minority and poorer communities. For example, ever since the reconstruction era, legislations have made it so that felons were stripped of their right to vote. Thankfully, in California, this has been recently repealed but in other states throughout the country this regulation still remains. These types of regulations were intentionally upheld to suppress the voting rights of African Americans who were racially targeted by law enforcement during the reconstruction area but it's devastating effects on the African American community is still apparent today as close to 1/3rd of African American men having had a felony conviction whether it was a minor or major offense suppressing their right to vote. Furthermore, the higher minority voter turnout in Georgia turning the state blue is also a clear indication of voter suppression in the U.S. Overall though, I applaud Stacey Abrams's work, this year had record high levels of voter turnout and it is by encouraging those to vote that helps make our electoral process overall more representative for the nation.
Abram's work in the US is incredibly important. She has helped 1 million people to understand that their vote matters and that they can bring change to the US. Georgia's flip to blue was very valuable to Biden, and is definitely one of the most important reasons of his victory. By helping and encouraging these people of color to vote Abrams has brought into office someone who will not diminish the problem that POC people in this country face, and will actually pay attention to institutionalized racism and try to change it (it will take a very long time to so, but he can take the first steps).
White people account for 69% of the total of registered voters according to pew research when only 50% of the population is white, whereas black and hispanic account for 22% when they make up almost 40% percent of the American population. This low voter turnout shows us that there is most definitely still a problem of voter suppression in the United States. What Abrams did is increase the representation of POC people in the government and help them use their voice when clearly there are people against them doing so.
I find it incredibly honorable that Abrams didn't aim to persuade the public into switching their ideology and voting blue, but that she simply encouraged more to vote. It is extremely difficult to convince someone who is affiliated with a party to consider joining a different one, which is why it was smart for Abrams to focus her attention towards increasing voter turn-out. Too often, minority populations are underrepresented, as they've grown up believing their opinion is less important than their counterparts. Furthermore, I believe voter suppression is still very prevalent in the US because of the recurring mindset that one vote is insignificant compared to the millions cast. Abrams' successful efforts to turn Georgia blue by increasing the number of voters, though, has proved this otherwise, thus (hopefully) igniting a similar change throughout other states in the future.
Abrams work really makes one wonder how one can really make an impact on the overall elections. The more people that are able to vote, the more accurate the opinion is on the president, obviously. America should quickly utilize the strategies Abrams used in order to encourage more citizens to vote, as although in this 2020 election, more than 140 million people voted, there is still millions of people remaining. Maybe, this will be able to pave a way to the abolishments of the electoral college, for the end of goal of having the most accurate representation of the eligible voters.
Voter Suppression has caused many issues in the US, and it has specifically caused issues in Georgia in the past. Abrams has been spending years trying to make sure that future elections in Georgia are fair and equal, as they should be. She has succeeded in helping the voices of many people in Georgia to be heard, and helped solve many issues in their system. Hopefully, Georgia will be an example of the harm voter suppression has caused in the US, and how we can solve this issue and allow people to be treated as equal, no matter their political beliefs.
Abrams work is extremely admirable and her hard work highlights the issue of voter suppression throughout the United States. Many people in our communities don't participate in voting because there's this stigma of their voices being useless and unheard even when they vote because the majority party in that state will dominate their opinion. As Ian has said in a previous comment, minorities are the most underrepresented in political participation and we must work towards fixing this issue nationally, not just in Georgia. As Abrams project has inspired people to no longer be silenced and must advocate for themselves to promote fairness and equality. She is not trying to convert any person into democratic ideologies but rather she just aims for everyone to fight against being silenced and feeling unheard.
In a historically conservative state, Stacey Abrams’ push for senate candidacy is truly remarkable. In addition to the dangers of voter suppression emphasized by everyone’s comments, I think this runoff election will be somewhat critical to determining the success of Biden’s presidency (as described in the NYTimes article). After the elections, Republicans and Democrats both hold 48 senate seats. However, Republicans are projected to win 2 more seats from Alaska and North Carolina, which brings it to a 50 to 48 count in favor of Republicans. And so, if Democrats win both senate seats in Georgia, there would be a 50-50 tie. Then, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the deciding vote, technically granting the Democrats a senate majority and the ability to push out their agenda without any political gridlock and resistance from the Senate. If Republicans manage to even regain one seat, the senate majority would go to the Republicans, which might mean another 4 years of lackluster progress and an ineffective Biden presidency. And, as we wait for the runoff elections on January 5th, 2021, both parties are now all-out campaigning in Georgia for their respective party senate candidates/incumbents.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/07/us/politics/georgia-senate-runoff-explainer.html
I think Abram's actions are admirable and shows what true American spirit and passion is. Her fight to help end voter suppression specifically in minority communities in the South should be a message to others to join her in her fight not only in Georgia but across all states. I think Abram's and her group have brought across more national attention towards the public that voter suppression still exists and is thriving in America. Her impact shows the difference 800,000 new voters can make in an election after being not registered in the previous presidential election. I believe she can be the change that changes Georgia from a traditionally red and conservative stronghold to a blue state. After learning more about and her plans I believe that she has very big goals and the means to achieve them to create a more democratic society in Georgia with her New Georgia Project. Hopefully, she can continue this encouraging hope for the democratic party and win over the senate seats in the runoff elections.
I think that voter suppression is definitely an issue in the United States. This is one of the reasons why Stacey Abrams' work in aiding African Americans and other minority groups in the state of Georgia to vote is being recognized as very important work. I read an article by the New York Times that wrote: "In addition to fund-raising for a voter-protection initiative, Ms. Abrams’s organization has assisted Democratic state legislative candidates, whose campaigns have long been in legislative districts drawn by Republicans" (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/us/politics/stacey-abrams-georgia.html). Her work in an otherwise historically Republican states further highlights the presence of voter suppression and the necessary strides needed to combat it within our system. Her work in registering voters will have an impact on Georgia for years to come.
In my opinion voter suppression still is a large issue across the U.S., even if it may not be as noticeable as it was following the Civil War and of course before it. Minorities and less-educated people have to overcome many more obstacles just to cast their ballot. This fully contradicts the idea that every citizen can vote, but few do anything about it. Stacy Abram's dedication and hard work goes to show how a single person or small group of people can make a big difference. I think the idea that "my vote won't do anything" or "what is one vote going to do," common excuses for eligible voters that are simply too lazy to vote use, is what is ultimately creating such misrepresentation across the electorate. As talked about in class, people at the ends of the political spectrum on both sides, are the ones that go out and vote. Leaving the more complacent Americans and minorities missing the support to vote, are left out of their state's votes and ultimately the Electoral College. My hope is that if this election tought America anything, it is that every vote matters and movements like Abram's are more relevant now than ever.
Voter suppression is still a significant issue in the United States, which is what makes Stacey's Abrams' work with Fair Fight in increasing voter turn out especially remarkable. Her admirable effort to increase voter participation African American and other minority groups in the historically conservative state of Georgia allowed for many marginalized voices to be heard. Across the United States, especially in more historically red or blue states, minority groups tend to refrain from voting because they feel their voices and opinions will not be heard or matter anyway. However, Abrams's work brought forth 800,000 new voters in Georgia, a key swing state that only turned blue by a difference of around 10,000 votes. Stacey Abrams's work in Georgia stands as an example of what a pushback against voter suppression could accomplish.
Voter suppression is definitely still a big issue in the United States today. Thanks to Stacy Abrams working with African Americans and minority groups in Georgia, she has proven that it is possible to end voter suppression. She has reached thousands of people, and her work can influence thousands of more people all over the United States to join her fight. Abrams uses her voice to help encourage others that their vote does matter, and that they can make a difference for their country. She is able to reach others and help them believe that their voices matter as well, and that voting is very important. Abrams is an incredibly strong and smart woman, and it is very inspirational to see her achieve such great work.
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