Voting Rights Means Power

One of the first things learned in any political science class or government class is the importance of government. Government is how we decide and organize our society. Government and politics are about who gets what and why. As we continue to see the end of and rollback of the voting rights act, we also see the erosion of minority power. As fewer people are able to vote, they lose the ability to shape policy. I’ve previously written about how important the voting rights act is as it allows communities to secure federal resources, but it is important to examine why that is. Unfortunately, in the US, many minority communities, especially those in the south are underfunded and have state governments that are resistant to developing their communities meaning federal support is the only way they can procure aid.

The failure of the Democratic party to protect the Voting Rights Act is not just a failure to protect ballot access but one that failed to allow communities to have any form of self-determination. We watch as communities like Jacksonville Mississippi, struggle with water access just like Benton Harbor and Flint Michigan, we also see states like Texas, Mississippi, Tennesse, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama with sizable minorities communities and higher poverty rates refuse Medicaid Expansion, we see that minorities are unable to impact statewide elections again highlighting the need for federal protection.

While Democrats focus on out-organizing the ballot restrictions put into place, they miss the importance of representation for our communities. When I did calls for the NAACP this cycle I continuously heard about issues from potholes, to crime, to education, to jobs, and so on all government funding and investment issues not being addressed. If Democrats can not understand that or refuse to address it, they may continue to see an erosion of minority support, and the voters won’t be to blame.