Why I Won't Vote: A Lesson on Election Day

"In 1956, I shall not go to the polls. I have not registered. I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no 'two evils' exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say."

                                                                                                                                                        -- "Why I Won't Vote," W.E. B. DuBois, The Nation, 1956.

The rush to vote this midterm election season has overwhelmed me. Every day for the last three months has been filled with endless calls for people to go out in vote in November. In the beginning, I was proud. Hooray for civic engagement! Down with voter suppression! My pride, however, has transformed to frustration. My approach to the ballot box has changed.

I am not here to discourage political engagement. That does us no good. It simplifies the very complex topic of voting-- and the history of voting rights-- for Black folk and other marginalized folk in the United States. I never wish to erase the legacies of ancestors who fought for the right to vote. It is necessary, however, that we analyze their work and not assume its message. It is contradictory to their memory and legacy to reduce them to aggressive taglines forcing people to vote as a mark of their character. 

Voting is not the end-- nor is it the beginning. The rhetoric of "vote or die" is a gross simplification. Ericka Hart, sex educator, is key in my understanding of this language as deeply flawed. Let's be clear: people are dying already. The history of Black death, genocide, and exploitation does not end once we acquire voting rights. It continues. Our understanding of voting as the solution to Black death overshadows the violence of democracy in the United States. 

It is not our job to police people's decisions in going to the polls. There are many communities in the United States that are withheld from casting ballots. Communities of formerly incarcerated folk, undocumented folk, and many more are erased in our conversations of rushing to the ballot box. Our collective place is to educate others and ourselves while holding politicians accountable. 

We must also make room for people who abstain from voting. It is not a new idea. There is a tradition of Black folk and other marginalized communities not running to the polls. In fact, Black folk across the African Diaspora have organized to combat oppressive political systems. One example is the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Overall, it is not productive nor revolutionary to demonize those among us who abstain. Our public discourse must expand beyond the two party system and participation in it. 

Vote today if you can and want to. Help others make their way to the polls if they need you to. Do not ask people if they plan to vote if they have not invited you into that conversation. Do not isolate folk who cannot vote. Make space for people to learn about the candidates and amendments on the ballot today.