Getting progressive voters to the polls

President Barack Obama's victory raised many people's hope for change, but the evidence shows that their is little change in the behavior of progressive voters.

For various reasons, Democrats and other progressive voters, or at least many of them, seem to think that only presidential elections are worth the effort in going to the polls.  Statistics show that they consistently turn out in lower number in midterm elections, special elections, local elections, etc.  In general, they tend to also be less active in pressuring their representatives during key battles to pass new laws.

Possibly the most important reason for this trend is that many progressives and Democrats live in poorer urban neighborhoods with antiquated voting infrastructure.  In some cases, they may have to wait for hours in line to vote after a hard day's work.  Despite all the hoopla about America' democracy, the country still has one of the lowest participation rates of democracies throughout the world because of the class-biased voting system.

Still, it is not impossible to get Democrats and progressives out for special, non-presidential elections.  The trick is to get them to see the importance of the upcoming polls.  Of course, eventually it would be go to educate them on the need for regular responsible voting.

One of the easiest ways to avoid long lines at the polls is to register to vote by mail. To find information on how to register as a mail voter, check out this site:

http://www.declareyourself.com/voting_faq/state_by_state_info_2.html

Also, if you are interested in finding out who your local candidates are for the November election, visit the Politics1 webpage:

http://politics1.com/states.htm