Voting Issue III Part III
The importance of voting, why you need to vote, dissecting candidate platforms, and voter suppression and how to combat it.
Gif by I Am A Voter.
Bernie Sanders
“I’m running for president so that, when we are in the White House, the movement we build together can achieve economic, racial, social and environmental justice for all.”
Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont and the Democratic socialist in the race, has been popular among some millennials, Generation Z, Black people, and other communities of color for his biggest issues concerning billionaires (#eattherich), health care, marijuana, and education. Politico says his issues has become the “lingua franca” among the Democrats (Latin for Bernie is the blueprint). Like the other candidates, Sanders plans to legalize marijuana federally as well as expunge past convictions. As a co-sponsor of the Marijuana Justice Act, he wants to ensure that the War on Drugs era victims aren’t overlooked by the marijuana industry and wants the revenue from marijuana to reinvested in communities hit hardest by the War on Drugs. Much different from other candidates, he supports enfranchising incarcerated citizens. He also plans to establish a national standard of police force that emphasizes de-escalation and he wants to ban for-profit prisons, end for-profit detention centers, and the cash bail system. Sanders also plans to end the mandatory minimum sentencing. He plans to raise the minimum wage, federally, to $15 and supports six month paid family leave. He plans to cancel all student loan debt and make all public community colleges and universities tuition and debt-free. Sanders wants to ensure childcare and pre-k to all families to level the playing field, create good jobs, and balance work and home. He also wants to execute and enforce desegregation in school districts, increase federal funding for community-driven segregation strategies, and triple Title I funding so at-risk schools get the funding they need. Sanders wants to abolish the electoral college and supports making Election Day a holiday, as he introduced the Democracy Day Act of 2015. He doesn’t agree with any restrictions on abortion and intends to use all tools possible to lower drug prices.
I’ve been a supporter of Sander’s goals and ideologies because I think he best represents my philosophies for a better America where all are politically and socially equal. His history in the Civil Rights Movement is also commendable, as he was the chairman of the CORE chapter at the University of Chicago and led the first sit-in at the University of Chicago protesting the housing segregation on campus. But, there’s always a “but” in any politicians history. While his campaign website writes that, “he was dubbed the ‘amendment king’ in the House of Representatives for passing more amendments than any other member of Congress,” his civil rights activism runs out after his move to Vermont in 1964. Jeremy Fasslerof Medium refers to Sander’s Senate legislative record as “anemic” and of the few bills he has introduced, none concern civil rights. Then, he voted for the crime bill in 1994, which was “tough-on-crime” and contributed to the rise in incarceration. (Sanders did say he supported it because it included the Violence Against Women Act, which helped crackdown on domestic violence and rape and he did not see the tough-on-crime parts of the bill as an effective solution. Then, during his 2016 campaign, Black leaders in Vermont claimed they were invisible because of his lack of attention towards race-related issues and following the confrontation between him and Black Lives Matter protestors in 2015. Curtiss Reed Jr., executive director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, wrote in an open letter to the Senator:
“Stop talking about your experience in the civil rights movement of five decades ago like a proud Eagle Scout showing off his merit badges. Focus not on your past but on the actions you must undertake to address racial injustice today in the proud tradition of Vermont senators past and present.”
Then, for his 2020 campaign, Sanders chose Shaun King (Question: Is he Black or not?) and Nina Turner to help spread his message among Black voters. King has had his own troubles from being accused of misappropriating funds and stealing from the work of black women and then threatened to sue activist Clarissa Brooks for tweeting about his fundraising. As for Turner, former Ohio State Senator, she has been criticized for using the campaign to raise her own profile and making decisions without consulting other members. Last year, she tried to put her friend, Tezlyn Figaro, in the Chief of Staff position. What’s funny is Figaro had been on Fox News praising Trump and making inflammatory remarks about illegal immigrants nor has any experience in political organizing. Some Black voters are also upset in the way in which he struggles to discuss racial intersections and inequalities, especially after Black Lives Matter protesters appeared at his rally in 2015 chanting for him to #sayhername.
This has definitely opened my eyes, as I will be voting for the first time this year, and I have voiced my support for Sanders. I think his intentions are pure, but he has fallen ill to every white man’s demise, aware of the problem but unaware of how to fix it because he doesn’t listen to those who are affected by the problem. For the next few months, I suggest Sanders reconsiders just who he allows on his platform (for example, removing the male Rachel Dolezal from his campaign) as well as working with Black communities and listening to what affects them and how they wish these problems would be fixed. Research and learning is important for everyone, he has the basics down, but not the specifics of just what harms Black communities around America. He needs to do that work just before he can count on Black voters truly supporting him in the election.
Elizabeth Warren
“When government works only for the wealthy and the well-connected, that is corruption, plain and simple, and we need to call it out.”
Elizabeth Warren, a former law professor and Massachusetts senator, is the Democratic candidate with a plan and policy for everything, from creating a wealth tax to canceling student loan debt to breaking up big technology companies. As a co-sponsor of the Marijuana Justice Act, Warren plans to legalize weed federally and supports restorative justice for those unjustly jailed for minor marijuana crimes. Warren agrees with restoring the right to vote to re-entering citizens and setting a national standard use of police force. She also plans to shut down all private prisons and ending contracts the federal government has with private detention providers. She plans to extend this policy to states as well by making public funding reliant on the state’s decision to use private prisons. Warren also plans to end the mandatory minimum and says that Congress should reduce and eliminate provisions of the 1994 Crime Bill. Warren supports only twelve-week paid family leave, but supports raising the minimum wage to $15 federally, including for tipped workers. She plans to cancel student debt based on income, eliminate up to $50,000 of debt for those with a household income under $100,000, and wants to offer free two and four-year public college. Warren supports banning for-profits and ending the federal funding of charter schools, offering free universal pre-K, subsidizing teacher pay, and desegregating school districts as well as keeping public tax dollars in public schools. She also supports killing the electoral college, making Election Day a national holiday, and offering a government-run health insurance.
Again, as usual, I did the “Elizabeth Warren,” “Black people,” “history,” search and I was impressed to see a page on her website with her plans to help Black America. The page details maternal morality, affordable housing and redlining, child care, student debt, criminal justice reform, election reform, empowering workers, entrepreneurs of color, environmental justice, farmers of color, immigration, improving public schools, LGBTQ+ rights, Medicare for All, gun violence, reproductive rights, social security benefits, women of color, and the ultra-millionaire tax. Again, I have yet to see any candidate detail just how they will help Black Americans, just them giving the surface support and funneling money into a few Black organizations in battleground states and/or early voting states. Black Lives Matter co-founder, Alicia Garza, endorsed Warren at the “Women for Warren” event in South Carolina, describing Warren as a partner in her fight for racial equality; Warren not only understands how “race and gender shape the rules,” but also “has a plan to work with us to remake the rules.”
“I need somebody to get it when I say I’m making 68 cents [for every dollar] the guy next to me is making. I need someone to understand that as a Black woman, I care about more than criminal justice reform.” (The shade!)
Garza went on to say that Black people are not one-dimensional beings and we care about a multitude of things relating to politics and government, “…so often, when you get people on these debate stages, they’re talking to us, but they’re really talking at us. And they’re only talking at us about criminal justice reform.” Warren has prioritized personal outreach to Black womxn activists and has been responsive to questions about how her plans will affect Black Americans. Massachusetts Representative, Ayanna Pressley, spoke on behalf of Warren and her plans, stating her plans are about the people and “isn’t an agenda for Black America—it’s an agenda for America that includes Black people in every aspect, truly a racial justice lens.”
Warren’s concern and understanding for not only Black Americans, but Black womxn is commendable. I love that she has broadened her candidacy platform, unlike others, in which she has addressed far more than criminal justice. Like Hillary Clinton, she’s for womxn, but (unlike Clinton) she’s for all womxn. Warren has the knowledge and the (very detailed) plans to enact change that will benefit all Americans and during her campaign, she’s been doing the work by listening to and understanding the experiences of the many Americans that she is fighting for.
Gif by Unknown.
As we discuss these candidates, it’s also important that we discuss voter suppression and racism in denying the right to vote for incarcerated citizens. There’s been much talk, especially after the rise of the Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich, that Black people have little political efficacy, thus choosing not to vote. However, Black voters are one of the voting groups with the most stable voting bloc in political history. The largest reason Black people may not be voting is because of voter suppression. In an analysis done but the Center for American Progress in 2016, 9.5 million American adults—most of whom were people of color—lacked full voting rights. From the era of slavery to the implementation of Jim Crow laws to now, the 14th and 15th Amendments have been disregarded by many states (especially in the south) as lawmakers continued to protect discriminatory policies and enact new ones that strengthen the barriers that keep Black people, other people of color, and low-income people from voting. In 2013, in Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, removed Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act by declaring the formula used to determine covered jurisdictions unconstitutional. Now, states with a history of racism and violent oppression of people of color are able to continue to enforce tough restrictions on voters to stop people of color and low-income citizens from voting. From gerrymandering to voter ID laws to the closing of polling stations, many states have worked hard to suppress minority votes, so much so, that in 2017, people of color were four times as likely to report experiencing discrimination when try to vote/participate in politics compared to white citizens. For example, in Florida, they’ve created a new-age poll tax for re-entering citizens who want to exercise their right to vote which led to a fourth of the Black people in the state being unable to vote in the 2018 Midterm Election. In all of America, Black Americans are four times as likely to lose their voting rights than any other voting group, as one in every thirteen Black adults is disenfranchised (2.2 million Black citizens are banned from voting). In some states, such as Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida, one in five Blacks have been disenfranchised. Thirty-eight percent of the disenfranchised population in America is Black. In a 2003 study, it was found that the larger the Black population of the state, the more likely the state was to pass the more aggressive laws that denied people convicted of crimes the right to vote and in many states, incarcerated citizens are counted in the district population, but not allowed their right to vote (new-age three-fifths compromise?).
When anyone chooses not to vote, think of those who can’t even freely exercise that right. So, vote. Vote smart. Vote efficiently. And vote with good intentions.
Helpful Resources to Learn More About the Candidates and Find an Answer for Voter Suppression:
On repeat: Burna Boy is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. I couldn’t even tell you my favorite song because every song of his is a hit, listen to his Burna boy Essentials playlist on Apple Music.
Who’s caught my eye: Mark Charles is a Native American running as an independent. We watched his campaign video in my WOC Feminism seminar and it brought me to tears, he and his platform is the true definition of democracy and justice and equality for All.