Why would someone choose not to register to vote? It's really shameful how much of our community hasn't registered to vote.

I don't understand it.

Why would someone choose not to register to vote?

I vote because I have my own voice and my own opinion and I don't want anyone else making my decisions for me.

If you don't register to vote, you're giving up that power -- it's like letting other people decide where you live, who your friends will be, what clothing you wear.

The only difference is that the decisions you make when you vote impact not just you, but also your community and your country.

If you haven't already done it, register to vote now. It's fast and easy:

http://action.naacp.org/registertovote

It's really shameful how much of our community hasn't registered to vote.

African-Americans have had the right to vote since 1870, but, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that right existed only on paper. We had to fight to make it real -- and not to take full advantage of that right is a serious sign of disrespect to the proud activists who dedicated their lives to the struggle for civil rights.

If you're not registered to vote, please do so now -- for our community, for our history, for your family, and for yourself:

http://action.naacp.org/registertovote

Yours in the struggle,

Marvin Randolph
Senior Vice President for Campaigns
NAACP

We have found that there are not many people who are not willing to vote:

Political -

a. African American Republicans and African American Republicans hiding out as registered Democrats

b. "More militant and radical then thou" unregistered African American anarchists

1. why - angry at the results of the past four years and want unrealistic advances

2. why - drop-outs from the "system"

c. African Americans of a number of persuasions, mostly small business capitalists, who refuse to

fight racism and want a return to segeragation (we have run into these here in very small numbers)

d. African Americans who are awaiting the second coming of some entity and are "leaving it in the hands

of..."

e. Post-incarcerated Africans Americans who think that they have no vote in the state they are in

f. African Americans who do not want to serve on a jury panel (these are the most difficult to convince)

We here have come in contact with all of the above and a number of categories which are not mentioned here as well.

Please remember that the Civil Rights Movement was not the present day experience for the generations nown born after the 1960s. That has had a vast impact on the thinking of working class African Americans. The reduction of union membership as a basic organization my father was a member of has been beaten back in its membership as far as numbers and ability to confront the present problems.

We have found ways around all of these situational problems and hope you can use some of them in your work.

Drop-outs from the "system" who do not vote may be the easiest to convince to assist us in some ways.

As an example, lets lift our spirits with the following actual case. We have woman in our volunteer group who does not vote and who has agreed to and is passing out voter registration forms and voter identification information. She has done so at venues in which the people there are most likely not to vote. And she continues to do so as long as she has information to do so.

She still will not vote, but we have used her to multiply the possible voters and in some ways she is questioning her need not to vote by passing out voter education information.

African American Republicans and those hiding out as Democrats as well as small business capitalists have been renowned to push for "splitting the ticket" tactics. These tactics have led to confusion of the voters in a number of elections. An advance has been made in the last Presidential election and in the present election in which those who are effectively pushing to have people stay home are now finding that the young African American Republicans are "leaning toward voting for Obama" in the coming election. Why- the health care bill has made an impact on the young at a level we never thought to understand.

Cheer up - the struggle is always more difficult than it seems and we just need to get under the impacts which have burdened us so far.

It will take time, but think, what would happen when we have African Americans voting at a rate of 96% of our population, all registered to vote and going to the polls? Thats the new Civil Rights Movement and it is very much innthe spitit of all of the freedom fighters of the decades whose shoulders we stand upon!!!

Onward!!!

Replies

Chicago-Midwest

Quafin Supariv August 2, 2012 at 7:19pm

I am not registered to vote. And I know there in no value in participating politically in a "system" that was not created for me to thrive. There's a feeling of powerlessness. A stage has been set and I am a puppet. Locally, nationally, and internationally organized politics and economies set for powerlessness of those who vote. Wouldn't it empower the powerless to organize and create a political and economic arena of their own? One in which they are in control of. Stop voting. Start building. Reclaim our heritage and our dignity. Stop worrying about other "peoples" problems and politics.

Quafin, Founder of TRaF
NYMetro

Ken Heard August 2, 2012 at 3:18pm

We have found that there are not many people who are not willing to vote:

Political -

a. African American Republicans and African American Republicans hiding out as registered Democrats

b. "More militant and radical then thou" unregistered African American anarchists

    1. why - angry at the results of the past four years and want unrealistic advances

    2. why - drop-outs from the "system"

c. African Americans of a number of persuasions, mostly small business capitalists, who refuse to

    fight racism and want a return to segeragation (we have run into these here in very small numbers)

d. African Americans who are awaiting the second coming of some entity and are "leaving it in the hands

    of..."

e. Post-incarcerated Africans Americans who think that they have no vote in the state they are in

f. African Americans who do not want to serve on a jury panel (these are the most difficult to convince)

We here have come in contact with all of the above and a number of categories which are not mentioned here as well.

Please remember that the Civil Rights Movement was not the present day experience for the generations nown born after the 1960s. That has had a vast impact on the thinking of working class African Americans. The reduction of union membership as a basic organization my father was a member of has been beaten back in its membership as far as numbers and ability to confront the present problems.

We have found ways around all of these situational problems and hope you can use some of them in your work.

Drop-outs from the "system" who do not vote may be the easiest to convince to assist us in some ways.

As an example, lets lift our spirits with the following actual case. We have woman in our volunteer group who does not vote and who has agreed to and is passing out voter registration forms and voter identification information. She has done so at venues in which the people there are most likely not to vote. And she continues to do so as long as she has information to do so.

She still will not vote, but we have used her to multiply the possible voters and in some ways she is questioning her need not to vote by passing out voter education information.

African American Republicans and those hiding out as Democrats as well as small business capitalists have been renowned to push for "splitting the ticket" tactics. These tactics have led to confusion of the voters in a number of elections. An advance has been made in the last Presidential election and in the present election in which those who are effectively pushing to have people stay home are now finding that the young African American Republicans are "leaning toward voting for Obama" in the coming election. Why- the health care bill has made an impact on the young at a level we never thought to understand.

Cheer up - the struggle is always more difficult than it seems and we just need to get under the impacts which have burdened us so far.

It will take time, but think, what would happen when we have African Americans voting at a rate of 96% of our population, all registered to vote and going to the polls? Thats the new Civil Rights Movement and it is very much innthe spitit of all of the freedom fighters of the decades whose shoulders we stand upon!!!

Onward!!!

This reply was deleted.