Mississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population
Taylor Turnage, 27, youth program director with Mississippi Votes Action Fund, speaks about elections, race and voter fatigue during a roundtable discussion with other youth community activists, on Oct. 25, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. A few years ago, Tiffany Wilburn just didn’t see the point in voting any longer.
Recent interviews with Black voters, voting rights groups, candidates and researchers show that the voter fatigue felt by Wilburn has been widely shared in a state where nearly 40% of the overall population is Black. This year, political dynamics have combined to begin changing that, leading many voters such as Wilburn to reengage.
White leaders of both parties used numerous tactics over several decades to suppress the Black vote, from poll taxes to literacy tests. Among the most pernicious was a provision slipped into the Mississippi Constitution in 1890 that required candidates for governor and other statewide offices to win not only a majority of the vote, but also a majority of the state’s 122 House districts.
Black voters in the state still face a disproportionate burden. A common complaint is about a purging of voter rolls that has caused problems for Black voters as recently as this year’s August primary. Critics say the named crimes were ones the white power structure thought Black people were more likely to commit. In 2009, a former Democratic state attorney general issued an opinion that expanded the list to 22 crimes, including timber larceny, carjacking, felony shoplifting and passing bad checks.
“That’s a huge percentage. If the elections were close and that 10% could vote, it very well could sway the elections,” said Marvin King, a professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on African American politics.In particular, a 2022 water crisis in Jackson left most of the 150,000 residents in the majority Black city without running water for several days after heavy rains damaged one of the water-treatment plants.
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Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population
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Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population.
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Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population
Baca lebih lajut »
Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population.
Baca lebih lajut »
Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population.
Baca lebih lajut »
Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengageMississippi's long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population
Baca lebih lajut »