Coming off the heels of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the realization of his dream remains deferred, but not denied if we enact commonsense policies and civically engage the entire voting age population.
According to the Pennsylvania voter file data and the U.S. Census voting age population, there are still approximately 1.5 million Pennsylvanians who are eligible to vote, but not currently registered. The staggering number expands to 2 million when factoring in the young citizens who turn 18 years old by this November’s election, and the currently registered who are slated for removal from the voter rolls due to inactivity (typically defined as five years of no voting history).
The unregistered statistic grows each year, and so does the voter registration gap between eligible communities of color and their eligible to vote white counterparts. More than 20% of Black Pennsylvanians and more than 31% of Latinos are eligible to vote but not registered. In contrast, less than 10% of eligible white Pennsylvanians remain unregistered. According to most recent state and census data, reports indicate that approximately 10.4% of Pennsylvanians eligible population remains unregistered. That’s far too many people not voting and making their voices heard at the ballot box to effect positive change within our communities.
Why are so many Pennsylvanians not registered to vote? Here’s three of many reasons:
1. The Commonwealth is one of the most difficult states in the country to successfully get registered to vote and cast a ballot. We lag behind states such as North Carolina and Georgia because commonsense policies such as same day registration and true early voting on machines elude Pennsylvanians.
2. What was previously attributed to voter apathy and fatigue, especially in young people, is now a challenge of overcoming the misinformation and disinformation echo chamber that exists where younger people receive most of their civic education – social media and podcasts. Digital media content creators have cornered the media market with their engaging personalities and easily digestible information – whether fact or fiction.
3. The nonpartisan organization I lead helped register many new voters since 2021. Nearly a quarter of these new Pennsylvania registrants chose to be unaffiliated with any major political party, indicating a lack of trust or enthusiasm for either. Consequently, these voters are ineligible to participate in the primary elections for candidates. Much like early voting and same day voter registration, implementing open primaries would encourage more people to participate in our democratic process – and that is always a good thing.
This year, the entire country, and America’s birthplace especially, will celebrate 250 years of our nation’s founding. As Dr. King’s words so eloquently remind us in his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address, our country must strive to embody the ideals of its founding promises, as King referred to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as a “promissory note” to all Americans.
For those of us paying attention, our “great wells of democracy” are at risk and require our active participation – right now.
