Our Vote: Our Weapon Against Racism

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

The recent electoral primaries are giving us important insight into the future politics of our country. All one has to do is look at the number of Trump supporters winning primary elections for a place on the November General Election ballots. Eight out of ten of the Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump have either lost their primaries or decided not to run again. Just this week, we saw Congresswoman Elizabeth Cheney lose her primary race as a Wyoming Republican to a Trump supporter of the “Big Lie” that President Biden did not win the election. Let there be no doubt that racism in the form of fear of the Black and Brown voting electorate is at the heart of the Trump movement of voter suppression and planned efforts to decertify future elections.

Our vote is our most important weapon against this movement of racism cloaked in the “Make America Great Again” movement (MAGA). When we allow low voter turnout in the primary elections, we set the stage for the big November General Election Republican sweep that would not only give back control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, but also encourage the acceleration of Hate Crimes we are presently experiencing against people of color.

If we want victories during and after the General Election of November 8th, 2022, we must get involved NOW. How? Check your Voter Registration. If you have moved since the last election, fill out a new voter registration form. We have them available at the Voice & Viewpoint office, or, go online.

It was our votes that gave the state of Georgia two democratic Senators, shifting the balance of power in the U.S. Senate back to the Democrats. If Black Votes Matter (BVM), then we must vote because there are enough of us to make a difference in the general elections this November. If we plan to vote then we need to be sure we are registered and at the present address. If we don’t vote, then we can’t complain about rent increases, gas prices, lack of daycare, and job opportunities.

We will stay on this issue until we see some activities. We are less than 90 days from the election. What are you doing?

Our vote is our weapon because there are only three things that corporate America fears: (1) lost profits, (2) bad publicity, and (3) a vote cast against corporate interest. Our vote has been our weapon since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which the U.S. Supreme Court has sought to dismantle. Now that Trump has stacked the Court with his conservative right judges, our vote for those who sit in the Congress and the Senate represents the only way to neutralize bad Court decisions like Roe vs. Wade. Again, are you preparing to vote or will you just leave it to others to fight for your rights?