Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-09-07)

ELECTION 2020

3. PEOPLE

46

RACIAL JUSTICE VOTERS

CHARACTERISTICS ○ Left-leaning Americans galvanized to political action by the protests that

followed the death of George Floyd

AGE ○ Mostly under 40

TheproteststhissummerthatfollowedGeorgeFloyd’skillingbya policeofficerinMinneapolishavealreadychangedAmericans’

attitudesonracismandpoliceviolence.Willtheyalsoactivatea newwaveofvoters?There’sevidencetosuggesttheymight.As

Floyd’sfamilyandothersencouragedprotesterstoregister,someDemocraticdatagroupssawanincreaseinthenumberofpeople

registeringandvolunteering.StrongsupportforBlackprogressivecandidatessuchasJamaalBowmanandMondaireJonesin

Democraticprimariesisanotherindicationofthisgroup’spotentialpower.Butwilltheyturnoutfora 77-year-oldWhiteman,who

authoredthe 1994 crimebill,andhisrunningmate,a formerprosecutor?Theanswer could be pivotal in key battleground states

from Georgia to Arizona.——Suma Hussien, Polly Mosendz, and Linda Poon

MADELEINE DEISEN ○ 19 ←

○ GEORGIA ○ student

“I’mreallyexcitedtovoteinNovember,

sinceit’smyfirstgeneralelection,andI’m

planningtovote for Democrats up and down

the ballot.

“Somethingthat’sreallyimportantto

meis votingrightsandmakingsureeveryone

canhavetheirvoiceheardintheirelection.I

sawhowcloseStaceyAbramscametobeingour

governorandtherolethatvotersuppression

had.”[DuringGeorgia’s 2018 gubernatorialrace,

votingrightsadvocatesdecrieda Republican-

ledpurgeofinactivevotersfromtherollsand

an“exactmatch”voterregistrationlaw,which

advocatessaiddisproportionately affected Blacks

and Latinos.]�P.M.

NICHOLAS OLUMESE ○ 32 �

○ ARIZONA ○ admissions adviser at online education company

“HowdoesanAfrican—I’mfirst-generationNigerianAmerican,I

wasn’tborninAmerica—whohasn’texperiencedthesamethingsthatBlack

Americansface,howdoyougetinvolvedinsomethingthatyou,ontheinside,

don’tfeellikeyou’repartof ?Butthen you realize, ‘Hey, you’re Black as the

next person,it doesn’tmatter.’

“ThesamedaythatGeorgeFloydhadpassed,DionJohnsonhere

inPhoenixwasshotbypoliceofficers.SoI wenttothatvigil,andthatwas

myfirstvigilandprotestever—evenwhenI didvoteandI knewtherewere

protestsgoingonwithBlackLives Matter and things of that nature. I just never

put myselfinthatspace.

“I’ma progressiveDemocrat,soI’monthatsideoftheplaying

field.I’mallforseeingchangeforeverybody—Black,indigenous,Hispanic,

theLGBTQcommunity.Wehavea diverseAmericanow,soweneednew

faces.SoI’mvoting for Joe because obviously he makes more sense than

Trump.”�L. P.