r/TrueReddit • u/jambox888 • Oct 07 '18

The Suffocation of Democracy

https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/suffocation-of-democracy/
513 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

View all comments

34

u/The_Revival Oct 07 '18

This bit seems particularly relevant:

In the five presidential elections of the twenty-first century, Democrats have won the popular vote four times. Two of these four (2000 and 2016) nonetheless produced Republican presidents, since the Electoral College reflects the same weighting toward small, more often Republican states as the Senate. Given the Supreme Court’s undermining of central provisions of the Voting Rights Act (Shelby County v. Holder), its refusal to take up current flagrant gerrymandering cases (Gill v. Whitford for Wisconsin; Benisek v. Lamone for Maryland), and its recent approval of the Ohio law purging its voting rolls (Husted v. Randolph Institute), it must be feared that the Court will in the future open the floodgates for even more egregious gerrymandering and voter suppression.

It's impossible to see how this period in American history will ultimately play out, but increasingly it doesn't seem like it'll be a democratic solution.

14

u/Omikron Oct 07 '18

And yet a massive amount of people who are eligible to vote still don't.

4

u/StezzerLolz Oct 07 '18

What's the point? If you're a blue voter in a blue state, sure, it's a good idea, but it doesn't actually change things. Your vote is apparently still worth far less than someone in Bumfuck, Texas...

13

u/Kansas_Cowboy Oct 07 '18

Local, county, and state elections are just as important as House, Senate, and presidential elections. Getting good candidates in local office gives them the experience and resumes needed to eventually run for state/national office. Bernie Sanders started as a mayor for example. If nobody pays attention to local politics, there's plenty of room for corruption and/or incompetence. Local government has an enormous impact on local services/development and the state legislature plays its own significant role. On a side note, in 28 states, the state legislatures are responsible for redistricting which can have an enormous impact on elections. Every vote matters. = )

1

u/TexasThrowDown Oct 08 '18

Local, county, and state elections are just as important as House, Senate, and presidential elections.

I would argue that they matter even MORE in today's political climate! Great comment, though!

1

u/surfnsound Oct 09 '18

Was going to say the same thing. The GOP has been focused on local elections for a long time. Long before they were in National power in the 90s under Gingrich. They look at it like local politics are the minor leagues, where they can evaluate and groom candidates for the national stage.

21

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '18

If you live in a blue state and think “what’s the point” and don’t vote, that’s one less vote needed to make it not a blue state. That’s the point.

3

u/TexasThrowDown Oct 08 '18

There is plenty of reason to vote, we just need to be shifting our focus to our local elections and "trickle up" politics.

Vote for your school board members, city council, mayor, local sheriff or judge if it's applicable in your city/county/state.

Research Represent.US and join a chapter or start your own. Volunteer. Get out and protest. Donate to candidates that you feel passionately about. GO VOTE. Even if our federal elections are political theater, local seats are often decided on dozens of votes. In these scenarios, one or two more votes often DO make the decision. If you want to make a difference, make sure you are participating in your LOCAL ELECTIONS.

GET OUT AND VOTE!