Why elections

The will of the people, expressed through their ballots, provides the basis of authority for democratic government.

They are central to the principle that elections belong to the people and are key features of any genuine democracy. Section 1: Electoral Integrity Why do we care about elections? Prohibitions on candidate contact -- IEs are absolutely forbidden from coordinating with political candidates. They cannot discuss strategy with campaigns or receive any information from a candidate or candidate surrogate that is not publicly available.

Federal IEs let outside groups spend virtually unlimited amounts of money. In the meantime, IEs with virtually unlimited federal spending restrictions are a fact of the American political system. Some groups will choose to run IEs in , and others will coordinate with candidates. At the end of the day, all campaigns require voter contact. Both traditional campaigns and IEs will be considering if there are better methods of contacting voters in and beyond.

While most campaigns will stick to traditional strategies and tactics, others will be looking to create new methods of voter outreach. State governments enjoy a huge amount of power in deciding how to run elections. These governments can wield their power to expand the electorate, helping ensure governments at every level are representative of the communities they are elected to serve.

Yet all too often, state governments choose to use their power to limit the vote. White women, all black men and women and Native Americans, were denied the vote under the first US constitution. Even after universal male suffrage was guaranteed in under the 15th Amendment, women of all races were prevented from voting until the 19th Amendment was ratified in Voter suppression in this country has historically targeted black voters.

Black men secured the vote in the aftermath of the civil war, radically altering the political makeup of the south. From to , black men served as US Senators, Representatives and state and local elected officials in former Confederate states. These men were elected primarily by newly-enfranchised former slaves throughout the American south. White fear of black political power led to new voter suppression laws. While most explicit voter suppression laws during this period were passed in the American south, they were passed with the complicity of northern states, who made little to no effort to protect black male suffrage.

Terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan targeted black voters to suppress the vote. KKK members staked out polling places, lynched black voters, and engaged in a campaign of terror to suppress the vote. By , only 3 percent of eligible black voters in the south were registered to vote. Five of the states that passed more restrictive voting laws since are in the top-ten in terms of Latino population nationwide -- and Texas which is home to 9.

Black activists led the fight for voting rights, often without white progressives. As a result of this sustained activism, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in It was a major step forward, requiring jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to receive federal government approval before changing election laws, and forbidding any election policies that limit the vote based on race.

The election of the first black president coincided with a surge in new voter suppression laws. These new laws are disguised to appear less explicitly racist than those of the past. Some examples of anti-democratic voter suppression laws, rulings, and policies include:.

These laws are a solution in search of a problem. Voter fraud is an imagined crisis, but getting an approved ID can be a challenge for many voters. The decision freed nine states -- primarily in the south -- to change election laws without approval from the federal government.

Reduction of early vote -- Early vote periods allow voters who might be busy on election day to vote on their own time in the lead-up to the election. Reduction of same-day registration - Same-day voter registration works to expand the electorate, allowing voters who may have been unaware of voter registration deadlines to register to vote at the polling location.

Cuts to polling places and hours -- Legislators have strategically closed polling places or limited hours in key locations in order to limit voting access for people of color. Returning citizens -- Nine states disenfranchise all voters convicted of a felony. In these states, citizens returning from serving a sentence must apply to the Governor of their state to have their voting rights restored. In all but eleven states, some disabled Americans are barred from voting.

Most of the residents of these territories are non-white. Together, residents of these non-voting territories comprise a bigger percentage of the US population than voters in half of US states, including New Mexico, Iowa and Connecticut.

Efforts to protect the vote have also been gaining traction around the country. Some tactics for voter expansion include:. In these states , voters who interact with certain state agencies for example, the Department of Motor Vehicles are automatically registered unless they specifically opt-out of registration. Same-day voter registration -- At present, fifteen states allow same-day voter registration.

These states tend to be clustered in the northeast and northwest of the country, although Maryland and North Carolina have allowed same-day registration during early vote periods. Online voter registration -- Online voter registration increases voter participation, particularly among young first-time registrants. Online registration also removes the possibility of lost paperwork. Long early vote periods and no-excuse absentee ballots -- Thirty-seven states allow some form of early voting, whether that be in-person early voting or no-excuse absentee voting.

Increasing the time period allowed for voting boosts turnout. Once pre-registered students turn 18, they are automatically added to the voter rolls. All mail voting -- Three states -- Colorado, Oregon and Washington -- have an all vote-by-mail system. Ballots are mailed to all registered voters ahead of election day. On the other hand, mail voting does require voters to take the initiative to mail the ballot back in in time to be counted.

State election policies have a real impact on election results. No one is trying to keep rich, straight, white guys from voting. Efforts to restrict the vote disproportionately impact voters of color, and can swing elections away from more progressive candidates. The number of votes separating a winning and losing campaign can be really small. In , progressive candidates in Nevada and New Hampshire ran closely contested elections for Senate. In Nevada, the difference between the two candidates was about 25, votes, or 0.

In New Hampshire, the margin was even smaller: just 1, votes, or 0. The laws our governments pass can make it easier or harder to turn out to vote. At the end of the day, voting is the strongest tool we have to take back control of our government. Stay tuned: Indivisible, along with partner organizations, will be releasing guides on voter protection efforts in the coming months.

The state saw its lowest turnout since the year , and most of that drop occurred in Milwaukee, a city in which more than half of residents identify as black or Latinx. Mother Jones has a great article on the impact of voter suppression in Wisconsin, which shows the impact a single bad law can have on politics across the country.

Participating in electoral politics can create lasting policy change. No matter what your party affiliation is, voting and participating in elections are critical ways to stop the harm that the Trump Administration seeks to do.

We will be rolling out new guides and toolkits over the next four months, providing you with the resources and know-how you need to hit the ground running on electoral politics. Figure out which campaigns to get involved with -- The first choice any group looking to get involved in electoral politics will have to make is which races to engage with. Many states and districts will be holding statewide and local races in , meaning your group may have the option of engaging in up to a dozen different races.

Figure out what policies and values matter most to your group, and consider volunteering in support of races that have an impact on those issues. Consider making endorsements -- Your demonstrated political power means many candidates will be looking for your endorsement in and beyond. Volunteer -- The most important way you can support candidates in your area is to spend your time, not your money. Volunteer time—knocking on doors, making phone calls, or holding candidate forums—is a huge factor in who gets elected.

Participate in voter registration efforts -- Across the country, That number drops dramatically to Broadening the electorate is crucial to ensuring a truly representative democracy. Check out our guide on voter registration. Generate earned media -- Indivisible groups are experts at using earned media to exert pressure on elected officials. Run for something -- Our elected officials are overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male. Studies show that women and people of color have to be invited to run repeatedly before they consider jumping into a race.

Skip to main content. Search form Search. Image by Caroline Kavit. Image by Melissa Bender. Image from Herndon-Reston Indivisible. Already, such rivalries have affected the ability of the ANC to agree on candidates to represent the party across more than 90 wards. His deputy vice president, David Mabuza, already has announced his intentions to compete against Ramaphosa at that conference. However, control of municipal councils provides the ANC with a huge source of patronage —particularly via access to municipal jobs for local-level party branch members.

The electoral outcome will be equally consequential for the other two main opposition parties, the DA and EFF. Now under the leadership of John Steenhuisen, the party may not be able to break perceptions that it is mostly representative of white privilege and may not gain much ground beyond its traditional stronghold of Cape Town and the Western Province.

Reports indicate the EFF has gained much more financing for advertisements and handouts than were available in the previous local contest. In fact, DA-EFF coalitions established after the elections ultimately crumbled in several councils because the two parties operate at opposite sides of the ideological spectrum.

On the other hand, without more substantive experience governing at the local level through such coalitions, it will be difficult for the EFF to gain widespread voter confidence in national elections. Trust has declined over the last six years while disapproval rates remain stubbornly high Figure 1. Moreover, South Africa continues to have the highest rates of distrust in local government across the continent, rivaling only more politically restricted regimes like Gabon, Morocco, and Sudan Figure 2.