One of the last presidential primaries in the country and certainly not a swing state, the New York primary election is often ignored by the media and by voters. Many awoke this morning not even knowing the primary was taking place, let alone being prepared to vote. With incumbent President Biden leading the democratic race and opponents of former president Donald Trump having dropped out of the race, many doubt the relevance of their vote in this primary election, choosing instead to stay home until the final Presidential election in November. The New York primary is part of a growing voter apathy trend among citizens of all ages who it is difficult to associate with a specific party member, whether because they feel they are too radical or too moderate.
For those living in majority blue or red states, it often feels as though their votes don’t matter. Those in the majority feel their additional vote has no impact, and those in the minority feel their vote won’t count or matter at all. Even as Gen Z reaches the highest generational voter turnout, states like Mississippi and Georgia saw less than 35% of eligible voters participate.
There are many partisan issues causing these low turnouts. Many who participated in the Listen to Michigan Campaign to vote “uncommitted” as a protest against Biden’s support of Israel have stated they may stay home in November to avoid supporting Biden while not contributing to a Republican election. In general terms, many minorities feel they are not properly represented by either party or candidate and therefore don’t see reason to vote. Kendra Davenport Cotton, leader of the New Georgia Project to encourage racial minorities to register, explained “not hearing enough about what he’s done for them, which according to our research is how they understand their political power and feel motivated to turn out again.”
Voter turnout is also not helped by various new restrictions placed on voting by several states. These include Arkansas limiting access to mail0in voting, Mississippi’s photo ID requirements, and Florida shutting down registration drives across the state. In addition to keeping eligible voters from registering, these laws prevent or discourage many registered voters from casting their ballots, greatly impacting election results.
But in New York in particular, very few people see the point in voting. A deeply blue state for the general election, it seems individual votes will not change that. Yet even in the primary, the election is so much later than other states, the candidates for each party are essentially already decided. Although many groups have attempted to encourage voter registration such as the ACLU, When We All Vote, and Rock the Vote, it has become increasingly difficult to convince people their vote matters when the numbers say otherwise.
In spite of growing apathy, citizens of the United States are very fortunate to be able to participate in elections so freely, voting is restricted by race, class, and gender in many other countries. Additionally, as voter restriction laws continue to pass, it becomes increasingly important to vote and protect your rights. You may feel your vote does not matter now, but you may regret a lack of action when new leaders come to power.
