Midterm elections are not sexy. There is typically no “wow” factor associated with midterm elections, which contributes to a downward voting trend during the halfway period of a presidential term.
It’s nothing new. In fact, voter turnout has dropped routinely during midterm elections since the 1840s’. Consider the voter turnout in recent years, since President Barack Obama has been on the ballot. In 2008, America saw a huge rate of ballots cast by the voting-age population, some 57.1 percent.
Two years later — after Obama was halfway into his first term as president, just 36.9 percent of voting-age individuals participated. During Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, voter turnout increased to 53.7 percent, a significant uptick from the midterm a couple years prior.
What is my point? The point I’m trying to make is despite having centuries of low voter turnout during midterm elections, it is always important to cast your vote.
Why? Because we must do our part to enact change locally as well as nationally.
Many of the city’s quality of life issues will be determined based on who wins the election during the midterms. Considering a complex matrix of issues facing Indianapolis, it’s imperative that we cast our votes this coming Tuesday, Nov. 4.
From school board races, to sheriff, secretary of state and congressional races; Blacks and minorities in general will be profoundly affected by whoever takes office.
On a national level, minority citizens also have a lot at stake. According to one Brown University researcher, Brian Knight, “since 1842 the president’s party has lost seats in 40 of 43 midterms.”
If that strong trend continues this year, ethnic and socioeconomic minorities stand to lose a great deal.
If President Obama can’t garner the corporation he needs from Congress, he will be unable to implement key policies to benefit Americans of different backgrounds and political beliefs.
One of the most frustrating aspects of this year’s midterm election — both locally and nationally — was the acute polarization that took place. Many candidates seemed so focused on degrading their opponent with name-calling and defamatory comments that they missed an opportunity to gain political support by simply sticking to the issues. By campaigning on facts and explaining how they would make positive change, they could have won the respect and trust of independent-minded voters.
I strongly encourage you to combat that divisiveness, by voting your conscience — and not based solely on a particular party. The truth is, there are bad apples in both the Democrat and Republican parties. Why elect someone simply because of his or her affiliation? It’s far more logical to vote based on your belief in a particular individual — not their party.
In this issue of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper we examined key races in Marion County and reported on candidates of both political parties. Unlike some newspapers, we typically don’t endorse candidates. Our job is simply to equip you with the facts, educate you on the voting process and select candidates and their agendas in an effort to help you come to the best decision possible.
While midterm elections can be anything but sexy, I encourage you to participate anyway. To paraphrase the late Maya Angelou, when we know better we do better. Let’s break the trend of reduced midterm turnout by heading to the polls Tuesday. It can happen, one vote at a time.
Let’s do it!
