With the senate race in Alabama coming to a vote in just a few days, some people are wondering why black people seem so disengaged. They certainly wouldn’t want bigoted Christian supremacist Roy Moore to win. But they don’t seem all that excited about Democratic challenger Doug Jones. A lot of reasons are offered. Perhaps Jones isn’t appearing enough in black communities. Or the organizations that do black voter turnout lost out in the latest campaign finance laws. Maybe even though Jones prosecuted Klansmen, black voters just aren’t energized. Perhaps Jones isn’t talking to black crowds to avoid alienating white crowds. Maybe news of the race or Doug Jones hasn’t reached black communities.
Vann Newkirk of The Atlantic says all these breathless commentaries miss one important thing. Voting has always been a burden for black people in Alabama and the latest voter suppression efforts have made it worse. Why get excited for a candidate if you can’t vote?
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