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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Nonvoters Who Can't Stand That Trump Is President
Looking at Facebook or watching news coverage of protests and counter-protests, it's easy to imagine the US as split into two bitter political factions. On one side, there's the "resistance," mostly Hillary Clinton voters who are so furious at each new Trump tweet they can barely focus at work. On the other are Donald Trump supporters, outraged that the media refuses give the president a chance to prove himself.
But more numerous than either Trump or Clinton supporters are the people who didn't vote at all. In 2016, 42 percent of eligible voters didn't make it to the polls, and that doesn't include US residents who can't vote for one reason or another: current or former prison inmates barred from the polls by state law, some people with mental disabilities, and immigrants and visa holders who aren't yet citizens. And in many states, concerted campaigns have made it more difficult for some would-be voters through photo ID requirements, limits on early voting, and new registration rules.
All told, a much smaller percentage of adults votes in the US than in most developed countries. Though there are many explanations for this oft-cited stat, one is that many people feel disengaged from the items on a ballot. A lot of nonvoters don't know or care much about politics, don't see how government decisions affect their lives, and see the whole mess in Washington as a waste of their time.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/meet-the-nonvoters-who-cant-stand-that-trump-is-president
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)if we get it together and get busy at the local level.
caroldansen
(725 posts)Make a difference. Then there were some I spoke with that were still mourning the loss of Obama and just stayed home.
Response to HAB911 (Original post)
Post removed
Kahuna7
(2,531 posts)SHUT UP FOREVER!!!
GoldenMezzoDiva
(79 posts)Not even Bernie was crystalline pure enough for them. You, know, far-out Lefties.
A couple voted for Nader in 2000, just because he didn't
own an automobile. At least one, a low-income disabled woman with MAJOR
health issues, remains convinced that HRC is a blood-thirsty monster who would
start WWIII practically on day one. Other than these bizarre
beliefs, these people are otherwise practical, kind and wise.
marybourg
(12,633 posts)I have neighbors who remain convinced that HRC is a blood-thirsty monster who would
start WWIII practically on day one. Other than these bizarre beliefs, these people are otherwise practical, kind and wise.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)They couldn't get registered to vote, weren't sure if they were registered to vote, and were scared off of voting by "educational" billboards in certain neighborhoods reciting the maximum penalties (one year in jail and a $5,000 fine) for casting a fraudulent ballot. Advertising works, especially when coupled with a multi-level voter suppression scheme.