Ferguson, Missouri, a town where 67 percent of residents are black and 29 percent white, five of the six city council members are white, as is the mayor. This white-dominated city government employs a police force – 94 percent of the officers are white (50 out of 53).[pullquote]For example, if Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — who is 81 and has been treated for two types of cancer — decides to remain on the bench until her dying day (she shows no signs of stepping down), a Republican president elected in 2016 might be blessed with the opportunity to increase the court’s conservative majority of five to an unassailable six. That would give the GOP a lock on the Supreme Court for years to come.[/pullquote]
How did this happen? In Ferguson’s 2013 municipal elections, 6 percent of black registered voters cast ballots, compared with 17 percent of whites.
On a national scale, a similar electoral scenario has played out, with similarly unfortunate results. In 2010, key progressive voting blocs — young people, single women, African Americans and Latinos — were underrepresented at the polls. Their alienation is understandable. People need a reason to think their vote matters. But the under-participation of these contingents has been disastrous.
The lesson: You get what you don’t vote for.