STAFF EDITORIAL: Your Vote is Your Voice

Nubian Message Staff

Why We Can’t Wait

For many of us and our readers, this is the first time we will have a voice in how this country is run. According to the Pew Research Center, the 2008 General Election saw the highest voter turnouts for African-Americans at 65.2 percent, up from 60 percent in 2004, making 2008 the highest African-American voter turnout in history. In 2012, history was made again with an increase of a percentage point to 66.2 percent. We cannot afford for those numbers to slip even a fraction of a percent.

Earlier this year Bernie Sanders proved not only to the American people, but also the entire world, that when motivated young people get behind a cause, anything is possible. If there was one message to be taken from this year’s Democratic primary, it is that not just does every vote count, your vote matters! Voting is one way to hold our politicians accountable. Use your vote to make a statement and make sure your voice is heard! Marginalized groups cannot afford not to vote, our livelihood depends on it.

We Guess We’re With Her

In all honesty, there is no candidate that we are completely thrilled about. However, the truth remains that never in the history of this country has there been a candidate more qualified to be president than Hillary Clinton. Not only did she serve as a U.S. Senator for four years and as Secretary of State for eight, but she served as first lady for eight years during which she championed healthcare reform. Hillary Clinton has expressed her commitment to ending systemic racism.

While Clinton is not perfect, she is the better candidate for people of color. Clinton’s platform includes protecting the rights of immigrants, reforming the criminal justice system that targets communities of color and repairing the Voting Rights Act to ensure that voters of color are not disenfranchised. Clinton is also an advocate for environmental justice, a movement that focuses on how communities of color and low income communities are affected by the negligence of industrial companies.

The average third party candidate may more closely align with your views, however this is not the election nor are these the candidates to vote for. The leading third party candidates in this years’ race are Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. While they are probably great people, they do not have enough experience to lead the United States.  

Gary Johnson is the governor of New Mexico, but he simply is not qualified to be President. When asked to name his favorite world leader he couldn’t come up with a single name. Furthermore, he has never held any position in the executive branch of government. He did not know that Aleppo was a city much less that it was in the middle of the conflict in Syria.

Jill Stein is an activist for the environment. She seems to have good intentions but is badly misguided. She has also never won a major election…EVER. She has run for many offices however, and only won a seat in town meeting council. She has no experience in any government leadership role. She quite often engages in the oversimplification of problems that leads to serious problems.  While environmental issues are very important, some of Jill Stein’s beliefs are not supported by evidence. Stein believes that “we should not be subjecting kids’ brains” to wi-fi.

Neither of these candidates have a serious chance at winning. Neither of these candidates are ready for the position. So please do not waste a vote for candidates who are polling below 8 percent in a vast majority of unbiased polls taken.

This election will be historic in its own rite

Although we have witnessed what may have been the most ‘entertaining’ election-cycle in the ongoing battle between Hillary Clinton and her opponent, it is important not to forget the potential change of power that could happen on the federal level. 24 Republican incumbent Senators are up for re-election, and 10 Democratic Senators are also fighting to keep their seats in Congress. Senate Democrats could see themselves with a 70-30 majority. The chances of that drastic of a swing are definitely unrealistic, however, according to the most recent poll analysis by FiveThirtyEight, the Democrats have a 54 percent chance to win majority control of the Senate.

With a Supreme Court Justice position vacant, a Democrat majority will be the deciding factor in whether or not we have a chance of seeing a favorable justice filling the position after the election. In the event that Hillary wins the election, a Republican majority could mean that we still have a long road ahead of us in terms of our “Justice Search,” as Senate Republicans have continually expressed their intention of stalling any Democrat’s attempts at getting a nominee confirmed. Supreme Court Justices serve until they step down, or until they are no longer able-bodied. Because of this longevity, this position holds a lot of power and it’s important to make your voice heard. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS!

Don’t neglect local elections

While the national election gets the most coverage, the local elections have a greater effect on US citizens. The person you elect to be the voice for your state decides which laws to pass, and vote on which bills come in effect for your area.

There is no reason why in 2012 a law was passed in Arizona that allowed cops to stop people who they deemed look like illegal immigrants to ask for papers, when Arizona is almost one third hispanic. In this same vain, North Carolina passed legislation to ban sanctuary cities and denny services to people who are undocumented.  

We need to make sure we are electing people who we feel adequately represent our beliefs and opinions. We all want to complain after laws like HB2 and HB972 are passed, but we don’t come out to the polls when election time comes around. The people we are electing into office are the people making the important decisions that affect our everyday lives.

We as the Nubian Message feel that Hillary Clinton will twirl on her haters this election season and encourage you to join us in making our country stronger, together.