‘A STATE OF CRISIS’
Five Black mayors discuss voter apathy
As the U.S. approaches an election billed as a referendum on the moral future of the country by voices on both sides of the political aisle, municipal leaders trying to encourage voter participation are navigating a minefield dotted by misinformation, voter apathy and a pandemic.
“Between the coronavirus, the racial unrest and the economic crisis that has put many Black people, hourly workers and small business owners out of work, the country is definitely in a state of crisis right now,” said Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin.
Woodfin was one of five Black mayors who participated in a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Memphis chapter of the NAACP Saturday to discuss the importance of and the barriers to voting in the upcoming November general election.
Much of the discussion centered on how to counter apathy among young voters and how to ensure older people who do want to vote feel safe doing so. The mayors also talked about the importance of voter education and downballot races which have less allure but often more day-to-day impact on the lives of the people voting in them.
Little Rock, Arkansas Mayor Frank Scott Jr. stressed the importance of voters educating themselves on candidates from the presidential race down to school board seats.
“We all have to focus on getting out the vote. But more than just getting out the vote, we have to understand why we are voting and who we are voting for,” he said.
All five mayors said they hear from constituents constantly about community issues, whether they’re getting calls or emails or running into people at the grocery store or a coffee shop. Oftentimes, those constituents lamenting local issues tell the mayors they haven’t voted in recent elections.
Brownsville, Tennessee Mayor Bill Rawls said voting was the step between civic engagement — from calling elected officials to nationwide protests — and change, but that there remains widespread misunderstanding on voting.
“We need to go back to basics in a lot of ways and communicate these things because we can have a high-level discussion here today, but the masses of people don’t still understand the difference between a primary election and a general election,” he said.
In August, Rawls was elected constable (separate from his mayoral post) with two write-in votes — his and his son’s — because no one qualified for the ballot. General malaise about local elections can translate into wider electoral apathy, even at the national level. He said this year he saw a divide between older voters who want to go vote but feel unsafe about doing so and younger voters who don’t care about voting.
Hyattsville, Maryland Mayor Candace Hollingsworth, a Memphis native, said it was important to think of young voters as constituents, not children.
“They experience city and municipal government before their parents do, sometimes. They’re the ones who are walking the dogs. They’re the ones who are taking the trash out. They’ll see when the sidewalks are cracked,” she said. “They’re spending, usually, a larger part of their day navigating our cities than those who are often leaving to go to work, back and forth, and spending time in an office.”
Hyattsville passed a charter amendment in 2015 to allow 16- and 17-yearolds to vote in municipal elections, giving them a way to engage in political life earlier and at a stage when they can interface with elected officials. People rarely run into governors in cafes, Hollingsworth said, but they do run into mayors or city council members.
Once young people form a personal connection with a candidate, they may be more likely to vote and encourage friends to do so. That’s why Ferguson, Missouri Mayor Ella Jones encourages programs getting candidates in front of high school students as well as registration drives aimed at students who will turn 18 before upcoming elections.
“We’re not telling you to vote Democratic, we’re not telling you to vote Republican. We’re telling you to vote,” Jones said. “Your vote matters. Your vote is your voice.”
All five mayors encouraged absentee and early voting whenever possible for people concerned by the idea of walking into a voting booth on Nov. 3 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Acknowledging concerns about the efficiency of the United States Postal Service, they also encouraged people to think of alternative ways to send in absentee ballots — in places where it is legally permitted — like shipping them via Fedex or dropping them off at election commissions.
In addition to voting, Jones encouraged everyone to do one more thing: Respond to the 2020 Census.
“Everyone is hollerin’ ‘defund the police.’ But if you don’t fill out the 2020 Census, you’re defunding yourself,” she said.
Corinne Kennedy is a reporter for the Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.kennedy@ Commercialappeal.com.