Photo credit: Eric Hobson for Steed Media
“Not voting is a vote for Trump. If you don’t vote, you are voting for Donald Trump and we can not allow that victory,” declared actor Hill Harper as he met with voters gathered at River Rouge High School, just outside of Detroit. With the election less than 30 days away, the seven-time NAACP Image award winner and New York Times best-seller is taking the initiative to educate key states such as Michigan and Ohio about the importance of registering and voting this election. Due to the craziness surrounding this presidential election, many feel that not voting at all is the best option this time around.
While campaigning for the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, Harper stressed to the youth that voting determines laws and decisions that will be made and it is up to them to take charge. Check out what Harper shared with rolling out about the 2016 election and why Clinton should be elected our next president:
Photo credit: Eric Hobson for Steed Media
Why is voting in this particular election so important?
Voting in this election is so important because every vote that’s not cast, is a vote for Donald Trump. What I mean by that is, when we think about this election and all the values and issues that the candidates represent, there’s no question that protecting president Obama’s legacy–my brothers keeper, criminal justice reform, the affordable care act, supreme court justice seat — there’s no question, Hillary Clinton is the correct choice for protecting that legacy. Yet, the way the turnout is going, a lot of folks saying “Oh I may not vote,” or “My vote doesn’t matter.” That is a critical mistake. We need people to turn out and encourage other people to vote, particularly early voting.
How do we get millennial voters to the polls next month?
The young people have to understand that particularly the Supreme Court seat, the next presidential election, the age of the justices [on the Supreme Court] — we know probably two more seats will become vacant within the next four years, certainly within the next eight years for sure, [so] the balance of the core will impact the next 30-40 years. Empowerment zones, jobs, affordability of education, being able to pay for education, funding for public education … all of those things are impacted by who sits. What happens is these states will file suit against this and against that because they’re obstructionists. We have to get them to understand the importance of voting. Roe v. Wade, protection for women’s right to choose; all of these things that are important because of the people who scaled back the power to vote.
What would be your response to a millennial who says “I’m not voting because my vote is not going to count anyway?”
If your vote didn’t matter, why would millions of dollars be spent to suppress your ability to vote? Why would so many people work so hard to make sure you don’t vote? Why would they try to pull your rights away by saying student IDs aren’t allowed, but gun registration IDs are allowed? Why? Your vote matters. That should prove it to you. Elections matter.
What else do young voters need to know about voting in this very important election?
At the end of the day, they need to understand that sitting on the sidelines is not an option. And they’re voting all the time anyway. Likes on Facebook or Instagram and Twitter is a vote, but it’s not meaningful in a sense of putting someone in an office. Unfortunately, a lot of people think standing in a line to vote is a waste of their time — obviously, we’re gonna see voting happen electronically sometime in the future — but we need you to be active and do the work and stand in line to vote. We need you to show up this election.
How do you feel about those who aren’t voting this election? Encourage a peer to meet you at the polls on Nov. 8!
Photo gallery credit: Eric Hobson for Steed Media
