Oddly Comforting News About Non-voters

[lavendertook]

If the stats are good in this article (and that's a big "if" until we see more discussion on and examination of this, and the results are still not all in), only 55% of eligible voters bothered to vote in this election--the lowest turnout in 20 years.

The good news is that only a quarter of eligible voters voted for Trump, so less than a quarter of the population. So 3/4 of the US did not approve Trump nor wanted him. Most USians just stood by in their not-my-problem-field and let it happen. Which is really the US I know. And it's oddly comforting.

At least I will be oddly comforted by the part that was not the result of voter suppression efforts that kept people of color from getting to the polls. And I really want to find out who is doing the best work to investigate all cases of voter suppression and donate--I suspect that would be the Southern Poverty Law Center, but maybe there's another organization working on this. Any ideas, flisties?

So keep in mind that most people will stand by and do nothing if the Trumpies come for us, but there are still more of us who are working to resist than there are Trumpies since Hillary did win the popular vote. Trump only represents 1/4 of our voting public, not nearly a half of the voters. I am really relieved that this could be the result of low turnout and apathy and not a surge of new voters coming out of the woodwork. The shadow is a passing thing. But only if we work to discourage more nonvoters to join his ranks.

Our best hope is that some of these nonvoters are surprised and horrified by Trump's win enough and all he and his minions do to horrify us all further that a few of them will come out and join us for midterm elections in 2018 and get rid of Trump and Pence in 2020.

Do not stop harping on the fact that Hillary won the popular vote every chance you get and a slim amount of voters could have changed the electoral vote. Every vote really does count. We only need a few of them to wake up out of their stupors to get our country back in 4 years. We need to keep ringing the alarms and help pull them out of bed.

Also posted at http://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/213332.html with comments

Comments

[aliensouldream.livejournal.com]

Our best hope is that some of these nonvoters are surprised and horrified by Trump's win

I hope so, love *squeeze* This is a hopeful stat and message.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

We can't predict the future, and election polls seem to be less useful than other kinds of data gathering on people, so we might as well hope and work toward that possibility. *hugs*

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Our best hope is that some of these nonvoters are surprised and horrified by Trump's win enough and all he and his minions do to horrify us all further that a few of them will come out and join us for midterm elections in 2018 and get rid of Trump and Pence in 2020. I hope you're right. *sighs and crosses fingers*

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I got nothing on what will happen. Just a hope on a possibility, and a desire to help that possible future come into being. <3

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

The apathy is so profound in this country. No way should Trump have been elected. I do hope he'll have screwed up so massively by the time the midterms come around that we'll at least get a majority in the Senate. It's hard not to feel bitter and angry at all the people who just couldn't be bothered. Every vote does count. It's proven yet again.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I wish we were in the parallel universe where a few more rust belt voters and Floridians came out and Hillary won. But remembering that some of the apathetic could become Trump supporters makes me content that they stay apathetic and out of the way of those of us who do care and those we can wake up to join us.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Interesting information...it was the wrong people who came out enthusiastically to vote...

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

At least they aren't close to half the nation like I thought yesterday. I can better deal with the thought that they are a little more than a quarter of the population--I knew about them already.

[pathvain-aelien.livejournal.com]

That is a very comforting thought. Thank you for sharing.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I really needed to know this. *hugs you gratefully*

[romeny.livejournal.com]

It does shed new light on the election results doesn't it, maybe we're not in such bad shape as a country after all. Thanks for posting this hon.

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

what's scaring me now and making the sadness still deeper is when i hear that there's hateful stuff going on in schools (etc). Today there is a report that a teacher here in LA was fired for telling a child that his parents would be deported (and a whole load of other stuff). There's numerous other incidents.

I have to say that people should remember that it's quite convenient to point to Trump as the author of all this. But we need to remember that we are each the author of our own book of being. Just like in high school, there were people waiting for a convenient 'gang' to join so they could bully others. Sadly, they have found one.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

This is sadly, profoundly true. Meep.