General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Meet the Nonvoters Who Can't Stand That Trump Is President"
More: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/meet-the-nonvoters-who-cant-stand-that-trump-is-president
But more numerous than either Trump or Clinton supporters are the people who didn't vote at all. In 2016, 42 percent of eligible voters didn't make it to the polls, and that doesn't include US residents who can't vote for one reason or another: current or former prison inmates barred from the polls by state law, some people with mental disabilities, and immigrants and visa holders who aren't yet citizens. And in many states, concerted campaigns have made it more difficult for some would-be voters through photo ID requirements, limits on early voting, and new registration rules.
All told, a much smaller percentage of adults votes in the US than in most developed countries. Though there are many explanations for this oft-cited stat, one is that many people feel disengaged from the items on a ballot. A lot of nonvoters don't know or care much about politics, don't see how government decisions affect their lives, and see the whole mess in Washington as a waste of their time.
One of the key questions as we inch toward 2020and toward local and congressional elections between now and then, which tend to attract far fewer voters than presidential contestsis whether the incredibly weird state of the country's politics will drive more people to turn out. That's particularly important for Democrats, since nonvoters tend to be younger, less white, and less affluent than voterscharacteristics that also often predict more liberal political leanings. A February Pew poll found that Trump's disapproval rating was at 63 percent among US adults who aren't registered to vote, compared with 54 percent for registered voters.
nikibatts
(2,198 posts)Granny M
(1,395 posts)Regarding this, we need an "Underground Railroad" campaign to get people to the DMV's, help them get birth certs or whatever they need, and then get them registered. And then help them double check to make sure they are registered, and then get them to the polls in 2018. I know these voter ID laws are a travesty, but they are an unfortunate fact in many states. We need to start where we are, because if we don't win back the congress, no change is going to come.
BainsBane
(53,026 posts)I would be more than willing to help with that.
GatorDem82
(36 posts)as I have been planning for either a non-profit, or an admittedly political organization to do just that. In the aftermath of the shitstorm I had been looking for a way to channel my anger into action. My only challenge is time. But I wish the DNC would look into doing something like that as they have resources to be able to get something up and running much easier than would one of us.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)and coerce people who aren't interested, though, large numbers are actually conservative, and new unregistereds pop up by the millions every year. A never-ending challenge.
Every effort is a great thing, but of course consult attorneys and be scrupulously careful.
Don't underestimate the danger from states around the nation passing laws that will allow them to arrest and prosecute activists they don't like, levy heavy-to-huge fines, and even seize property. And our U.S. AG is Jeff Sessions, who made his reputation trying to send voter registration activists to prison on fake charges. Abuse of power is right-wing virtue in action.
Granny M
(1,395 posts)I hope we aren't too late.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)in to sack the city, for sure. Just hope this wakes more people to the realization that what we have is pretty darned good.
And more so since the shitstain has taken office and filled it with the likes of Sessions, and the thing with Mr Khan and journalists they've deemed as enemies, I've been thinking my wife and three kids need me here safe more than my desire to do something to fight the machine.
As it stands now, with possible impeachment and the shitstorm fallout from his crazy ass supporters, I'm planning on grabbing an AR, some handguns, and tons of ammos and food and water. Unfortunately I live in Trump country.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)calmly convince their so-called representatives that they absolutely will not accept and will absolutely neither forgive nor forget. Use the reps' names often in sending these messages. We know who you are.
As for the rest, don't forget, one of your local law authorities now has military equipment that can just drive over your home and smash it into the ground. They'd probably just track your phone to the supermarket, though, and pick you up on your way home.
The most safe and most effective place for parents and everyone else to resist from is as part of big organized voter groups. But lots of outreach groups will be doing a lot of good, including for instance, those formed by the ACLU and President Obama's group.
But please, always, always never, ever mention armed rebellion on line, even wishfully. Not with these people in power across much of the nation.
A several-week supply of food and water is always a good idea for a lot of sensible reasons, though, right?
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)I've done voter registration in voter ID states. AS I register people, I inform them of the ID they need right then and there (sometimes with a handout) so they're not surprised at the polling place.
Dream Girl
(5,111 posts)an initiative that could enable people to get people the documents they need
standingtall
(2,785 posts)Some of these people are as bad as Trump voters. In fact the first guy sounded like a soft Trump supporter. Even said he would've voted for Trump if he knew details of how Trump was going to repel and replace Obamacare. One of them was a Bob who didn't want his taxes being taking out for healthcare. I guess he probably feels the same way about social security?
Cosmocat
(14,560 posts)I have been telling people about this for years now.
This country is not at a 50/50 split.
it is broke into 1/3s.
Our 1/3.
The conservative 1/3 that is gone, walking dead gone.
and this "middle" 1/3 that is either completely non-political or these kind of "independent" types.
It did not just start on November 8th, this has been the case for most of my adult life, since the 90s at least.
The problem is this - these "middle" 1/3 almost all assign to the "they are both the same" kind of thinking, and when it is all said and done, they tend to side with republicans because they are the ones who are always screaming how horrible government is, which is the touchstone. Outside of that, they tend to mostly side with us on the majority of issues, but they tend to break R most often because there is almost always ONE issue that they get stuck on - abortion, gays, their guns, whatever.
They only break our way when republicans totally fuck up. I mean, repubicans have to REALLY fuck up, like Iran Contra, Iraq ...
They can be as wrong as they are about everything and it really does not matter, it is only when they seriously blow up the country that these people break in mass against them, like they did in 06 and 08, but the turned on a dime 2 years later in 2010 and kicked our asses over our passing the REPUBLICAN version of health care reform.
And, the fact is, the republican fuckups keep getting worse - selling arms it Iran, lying us into Iraq, and now electing a fucking russian operative. At the same time when the dust settles, they keep getting more and more power in government - see where thiings are today in DC and at the state level.
The simple out take - 2/3 of this country are either flat brain diseased conservatives or too stupid to breathe.
They only break our way when republicans totally fuck up. I mean, repubicans have to REALLY fuck up, like Iran Contra, Iraq ...
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)The DCCC trained me in 2010 that the electorate was like a band-aid. Each adhesive side of the band-aid represents the GOP base or our base, and the middle part is the swing voters.
The air holes in the band-aid represent unregistered and sporadic voters. To win an election, you have to convince enough of the middle and fill in your holes. The GOP filled in their holes in 2016 with a candidate that many got excited about.
Cosmocat
(14,560 posts)nm
Chasstev365
(5,191 posts)WTF were you thinking?????????
Paladin
(28,246 posts)Cosmocat
(14,560 posts)I have been telling people about this for years now.
This country is not at a 50/50 split.
it is broke into 1/3s.
Our 1/3.
The conservative 1/3 that is gone, walking dead gone.
and this "middle" 1/3 that is either completely non-political or these kind of "independent" types.
It did not just start on November 8th, this has been the case for most of my adult life, since the 90s at least.
The problem is this - these "middle" 1/3 almost all assign to the "they are both the same" kind of thinking, and when it is all said and done, they tend to side with republicans because they are the ones who are always screaming how horrible government is, which is the touchstone. Outside of that, they tend to mostly side with us on the majority of issues, but they tend to break R most often because there is almost always ONE issue that they get stuck on - abortion, gays, their guns, whatever.
They only break our way when republicans totally fuck up. I mean, repubicans have to REALLY fuck up, like Iran Contra, Iraq ...
They can be as wrong as they are about everything and it really does not matter, it is only when they seriously blow up the country that these people break in mass against them, like they did in 06 and 08, but the turned on a dime 2 years later in 2010 and kicked our asses over our passing the REPUBLICAN version of health care reform.
And, the fact is, the republican fuckups keep getting worse - selling arms it Iran, lying us into Iraq, and now electing a fucking russian operative. At the same time when the dust settles, they keep getting more and more power in government - see where things are today in DC and at the state level.
The simple out take - 2/3 of this country are either flat brain diseased conservatives or too stupid to breathe.
ffr
(22,665 posts)Only through voter suffering do they realize that maybe it's time to vote for representatives that hold their values.
This explained 2000 a lot as well. That election should have been a slam-dunk, 99-1. Instead we got 5-4.
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)for D's to clean up the GOP's mess, and then enable the GOP to get back in power when they don't clean up the messes fast enough. It's frustrating to see, and is one of the main things holding the country back on achieving a number of progressive goals.
Chitown Kev
(2,197 posts)and could not vote because he had a felony...everyone else lived in Massachusetts...a few Bernie or Busters...
Eh...a lot of bringing up the e-mails...which...Hillary needed to get that story off of the front page.
She handled it...well, the way the Clintons usually handle things...which ight have been alright if she wasn't following a squeaky clean politician like Obama...the contrast was very notiiceable to me...