Why voting third party or staying home are not options. And why I, a lifelong leftist activist, think the only feminist thing to do is vote for Harris.
From across the pond (and with no voting rights over there) I fully stand with every single American standing up for freedom and democracy…#votekamala 💖
Same here, watching the elections from France is very scary. We also had tense elections this year, where our irresponsible president favored the far-right and didn't respect the result of the election, nominating anti-abortion and anti-lgbt ministers.
Sending lots of support to everyone who is fearing for their rights in this election
I cast my vote on the second day that early voting was open in my county. I'm a former Republican, listed as Independent now, and voted blue down the ticket. #votekamala
I just put my ballot in the ballot box yesterday! It's funny, I was then on a date with someone who said if it was still between Biden and Trump he would have voted for Cornell West, but now he's "leaning toward" Harris. He's not a Trump supporter. I think it's between that and not voting? I didn't clarify. Is this a red flag? He interestingly said "I trust you made the right choices" when I told him I was sending my ballot off. But if he's undecided, what would that even mean?
I mean...I think this is complicated. Why is he considering voting third party? If it's because of the genocide, I give a lot of grace, but it is very ignorant since a third party literally cannot win. But a lot of times, voting third party is a way men deal with their misogyny.
Wow, I'm so flattered you responded to my comment, Zawn! I probably should have clarified his reasoning, but also it seems like if it was due to the genocide, he would have said that? Since it is a very valid reason.
I would not date someone who was voting third party to stop the genocide, because to me, it shows an inability to think critically and to understand our American political system. Perhaps if he were from another country, or if he were responsive to reasoning, that might change things. A vote for a third party is a vote thrown away, and therefore a vote for more genocide, which is what we will get under Trump.
Maybe he would be open to reading this piece? I don't know.
I've been involved in Palestinian liberation activism for my entire adult life, and things are very different now. The folks who have come into this new are really unresponsive to reason. To some extent, I understand why, because it's horrible and people have a right to be angry.
If I'm going to be in a relationship with someone, I want them to be a partner and an ally. Someone who doesn't understand the importance of this election is not someone who can meet me where I am--and, I suspect, not someone who can meet you where you are.
Michelle Obama gave a great speech in Michigan over the weekend and specifically called out for men to support women and girls in this election. She talked for at least 10 minutes about women's complicated biology and how a Trump presidency will cause many of us to die far too early. This is why I cannot accept a protest vote against Kamala Harris as one of conscience. There's much, much, much more at stake. Just read about the rally in Madison Square Garden to see what our country could look like with Trump (or, more likely, JD Vance) at the helm.
I've been heavily involved in politics at the local level ever since 2017 and I completely understand the disillusion with our system. It needs to change in the worst way. But that will never happen unless we get political leaders who are willing to make the change, ones who listen to their constituents. That's not Republicans. it just isn't. Believe me, I've tried.
The best analogy for the American political system is that you're choosing a bus. You take the one who will get you closest to where you want to go, then you have to figure it out from there. Kamala Harris is our ticket. I'm desperately afraid not enough of us will vote for her but we must.
Yeah. I think I've been looking for confirmation of my own instincts from other people, and I think I've been overlooking things that would on paper make me say no to someone, because in a patriarchy, it feels good to be pursued/wanted, what can I say?
Thanks for posting this! We're exactly a week out from election day in the US. This election is very much about defeating misogynists and getting our rights back. trmp and JD Vance have run one of the most misogynistic campaigns imaginable. I care a LOT about the genocide of Palestinians and believe it needs to be stopped immediately! However, it's a mystery to me though as to why anyone would think trump would be helpful to the Palestinian cause. trump and Netanyahu are both desperate to stay out of jail and will do ANYTHING to avoid being held accountable.
It's also a mystery as to why anyone would consider voting for Jill Stein. I see her as an opportunist who is far too close to Putin and partially responsible for trmp's win in 2016 which allowed him to put three corrupt justices on the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Please vote for Harris Walz! I think Harris will be much tougher with Netanyahu than trump.
Unfortunately, there are still men who try to control who their wives vote for. This is a real thing. I want to say to them, your vote is protected and private! Your husband, partner, family can't see or control your vote. Vote Harris / Walz on November 5, 2024! The Lincoln Project just put out a good video on this topic called, "Secret." Share with anyone you think should see it.
As a black person living in this country, and also a first generation child of a Congolese immigrant, I am voting as a measure of harm reduction, but the Left will continue to alienate its base with oversimplified statements like “a vote for third party candidates is a vote for Trump.”
First things first, I was one of the 98% of black women who tried to warn and save the world by casting a harm reduction vote for Hilary Clinton, even though I would have preferred Bernie Sanders policies before that opportunity was obstructed by powerful political machines. My plan was to vote for Bernie Sanders, but our do-called democratic system didn’t even allow my state the option in the primaries (this happened again with Biden).
So yes, I will be casting another James Baldwin style “I am Not Your Negro” vote for Kamala this cycle, and hope she delivers to young working class people who are feeling the brunt of the crushing economy with no end in sight. I hope she doesn’t betray and lecture and blame us for her failures on her way out the way Barack did to the young people who helped put him in office.
I expect that when Kamala wins, the professional class will expect me to thank them for “teaching me” about democracy, and will not thank my ancestors for inventing it.
Young black people know full well the threats of fascism. We have no choice but to bear the brunt of it everyday - from Philadelphia to Congo to Haiti to Sudan - the genocides and armed conflicts we survive are evidence of this.
We don’t have time to create dating checklists based on what political party our suitor is aligned with. I repeat, we don’t have tiiiime for conversations like this due to the conditions we’re living everyday.
Third party candidates are a legitimate part of the electoral process. Jill Stein is on the ground and has been on the ground building political power. Did you know the Working Families Party has literally unseated the only Republican seats in Philadelphia’s City Council, first with Kendra Brooks and now with both Brooks and Nick O’Rourke? This has been a significant move to pressure centrist Democrats to deliver more progressive policies to our struggling city. Green Party, WFP and Democratic Socialist candidates agree on many things and are an invisible yet important force in more Red areas like Central PA. Not everyone in York or Lancaster is a Trump supporter despite all the signs you may see. There are multiracial Greens running at the local levels to push back against fracking, advocate for farmers to resist big developers, and invest in Black banks.
Just like we are more effective at empowering women by addressing the REASONS why women don’t divorce or leave abusive situations vs dishing out dismissive and judgy “girl you need to leave him,” victim-blaming statements, I believe political conversations are far more likely to be effective and invite deeper reflection to address REASONS and ask questions about why people are looking for third party alternatives within an obviously outrageously antiquated electoral system that was invented to benefit the wealthy planters and slave owners of past centuries.
It is a good thing for people to have political imagination. The black political imagination has paved the way for future generations from Harriet Tubman’s radicalism, to Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Democratic Party activism, to Pauli Murray’s liberatory politics, to Tarana Burke’d advocacy for survivor-led healing justice, to the Movement for Black Lives socialist coalition building, etc.
So while I am a Green Party member and register alternatively as an Independent and Democrat depending on when primaries are held, I will continue to vote strategically ALONG WITH holding elected officials accountable. The Democratic Party has the Green Party to thank for authoring the “Green New Deal” about a decade before they caught on to it as a real concern for young people who will inherit the worst of climate change.
The US military machine is the BIGGEST contributor to carbon emissions. The Earth never cared about our political parties and she continues to show us this everyday.
We are seeing in Europe that election norms are shifting and there’s more coalition building with Leftist parties. If Green Party and Labour Party candidates are getting elected there, there’s no reason we should shut down meaningful dialogue about it here.
So yes, I’m young and black and female and many people in my demographic will be hurt the worst by a Trump presidency AND will benefit the least from a Kamala presidency. People will continue to die everyday from multiple world genocides. I get to have and express political agency and feelings about this without being conflated with ignorant ass racist Trump supporters.
I think feminist circles could benefit from resisting antagonistic infighting, and doing what we implore men to do: ask more questions and listen to more vulnerable voices.
This is an excellent piece, Zawn. I’m not American but watching closely how things are going from the U.K. The concept of voting for harm reduction is spot on.
Excelent points, specially about the judiciary system. We cannot let the Republicans take it over. There will be terrible and lasting effects if it happens.
From across the pond (and with no voting rights over there) I fully stand with every single American standing up for freedom and democracy…#votekamala 💖
Same here, watching the elections from France is very scary. We also had tense elections this year, where our irresponsible president favored the far-right and didn't respect the result of the election, nominating anti-abortion and anti-lgbt ministers.
Sending lots of support to everyone who is fearing for their rights in this election
I cast my vote on the second day that early voting was open in my county. I'm a former Republican, listed as Independent now, and voted blue down the ticket. #votekamala
I just put my ballot in the ballot box yesterday! It's funny, I was then on a date with someone who said if it was still between Biden and Trump he would have voted for Cornell West, but now he's "leaning toward" Harris. He's not a Trump supporter. I think it's between that and not voting? I didn't clarify. Is this a red flag? He interestingly said "I trust you made the right choices" when I told him I was sending my ballot off. But if he's undecided, what would that even mean?
I mean...I think this is complicated. Why is he considering voting third party? If it's because of the genocide, I give a lot of grace, but it is very ignorant since a third party literally cannot win. But a lot of times, voting third party is a way men deal with their misogyny.
I wouldn't date him, but that's me.
Wow, I'm so flattered you responded to my comment, Zawn! I probably should have clarified his reasoning, but also it seems like if it was due to the genocide, he would have said that? Since it is a very valid reason.
I would not date someone who was voting third party to stop the genocide, because to me, it shows an inability to think critically and to understand our American political system. Perhaps if he were from another country, or if he were responsive to reasoning, that might change things. A vote for a third party is a vote thrown away, and therefore a vote for more genocide, which is what we will get under Trump.
Maybe he would be open to reading this piece? I don't know.
I've been involved in Palestinian liberation activism for my entire adult life, and things are very different now. The folks who have come into this new are really unresponsive to reason. To some extent, I understand why, because it's horrible and people have a right to be angry.
I'm just thinking out loud here, really.
I should also add that we live in arguably the most important state for this election, Pennsylvania.
Yeah, that's completely different then.
If I'm going to be in a relationship with someone, I want them to be a partner and an ally. Someone who doesn't understand the importance of this election is not someone who can meet me where I am--and, I suspect, not someone who can meet you where you are.
Maybe show him this video of the last 10 minutes of Michelle Obama's speech in Michigan this weekend. It starts with, "To the men who love us (women)". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQqGOOLh8o&t=1750s
What a terrific speech!
Michelle Obama gave a great speech in Michigan over the weekend and specifically called out for men to support women and girls in this election. She talked for at least 10 minutes about women's complicated biology and how a Trump presidency will cause many of us to die far too early. This is why I cannot accept a protest vote against Kamala Harris as one of conscience. There's much, much, much more at stake. Just read about the rally in Madison Square Garden to see what our country could look like with Trump (or, more likely, JD Vance) at the helm.
I've been heavily involved in politics at the local level ever since 2017 and I completely understand the disillusion with our system. It needs to change in the worst way. But that will never happen unless we get political leaders who are willing to make the change, ones who listen to their constituents. That's not Republicans. it just isn't. Believe me, I've tried.
The best analogy for the American political system is that you're choosing a bus. You take the one who will get you closest to where you want to go, then you have to figure it out from there. Kamala Harris is our ticket. I'm desperately afraid not enough of us will vote for her but we must.
Thanks for the call to vote for Kamala, Zawn!
Yeah. I think I've been looking for confirmation of my own instincts from other people, and I think I've been overlooking things that would on paper make me say no to someone, because in a patriarchy, it feels good to be pursued/wanted, what can I say?
Thanks for posting this! We're exactly a week out from election day in the US. This election is very much about defeating misogynists and getting our rights back. trmp and JD Vance have run one of the most misogynistic campaigns imaginable. I care a LOT about the genocide of Palestinians and believe it needs to be stopped immediately! However, it's a mystery to me though as to why anyone would think trump would be helpful to the Palestinian cause. trump and Netanyahu are both desperate to stay out of jail and will do ANYTHING to avoid being held accountable.
It's also a mystery as to why anyone would consider voting for Jill Stein. I see her as an opportunist who is far too close to Putin and partially responsible for trmp's win in 2016 which allowed him to put three corrupt justices on the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Please vote for Harris Walz! I think Harris will be much tougher with Netanyahu than trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keCXAfohjz8
Unfortunately, there are still men who try to control who their wives vote for. This is a real thing. I want to say to them, your vote is protected and private! Your husband, partner, family can't see or control your vote. Vote Harris / Walz on November 5, 2024! The Lincoln Project just put out a good video on this topic called, "Secret." Share with anyone you think should see it.
https://youtu.be/jlsd1wZ9jF4
As a black person living in this country, and also a first generation child of a Congolese immigrant, I am voting as a measure of harm reduction, but the Left will continue to alienate its base with oversimplified statements like “a vote for third party candidates is a vote for Trump.”
First things first, I was one of the 98% of black women who tried to warn and save the world by casting a harm reduction vote for Hilary Clinton, even though I would have preferred Bernie Sanders policies before that opportunity was obstructed by powerful political machines. My plan was to vote for Bernie Sanders, but our do-called democratic system didn’t even allow my state the option in the primaries (this happened again with Biden).
So yes, I will be casting another James Baldwin style “I am Not Your Negro” vote for Kamala this cycle, and hope she delivers to young working class people who are feeling the brunt of the crushing economy with no end in sight. I hope she doesn’t betray and lecture and blame us for her failures on her way out the way Barack did to the young people who helped put him in office.
I expect that when Kamala wins, the professional class will expect me to thank them for “teaching me” about democracy, and will not thank my ancestors for inventing it.
Young black people know full well the threats of fascism. We have no choice but to bear the brunt of it everyday - from Philadelphia to Congo to Haiti to Sudan - the genocides and armed conflicts we survive are evidence of this.
We don’t have time to create dating checklists based on what political party our suitor is aligned with. I repeat, we don’t have tiiiime for conversations like this due to the conditions we’re living everyday.
Third party candidates are a legitimate part of the electoral process. Jill Stein is on the ground and has been on the ground building political power. Did you know the Working Families Party has literally unseated the only Republican seats in Philadelphia’s City Council, first with Kendra Brooks and now with both Brooks and Nick O’Rourke? This has been a significant move to pressure centrist Democrats to deliver more progressive policies to our struggling city. Green Party, WFP and Democratic Socialist candidates agree on many things and are an invisible yet important force in more Red areas like Central PA. Not everyone in York or Lancaster is a Trump supporter despite all the signs you may see. There are multiracial Greens running at the local levels to push back against fracking, advocate for farmers to resist big developers, and invest in Black banks.
Just like we are more effective at empowering women by addressing the REASONS why women don’t divorce or leave abusive situations vs dishing out dismissive and judgy “girl you need to leave him,” victim-blaming statements, I believe political conversations are far more likely to be effective and invite deeper reflection to address REASONS and ask questions about why people are looking for third party alternatives within an obviously outrageously antiquated electoral system that was invented to benefit the wealthy planters and slave owners of past centuries.
It is a good thing for people to have political imagination. The black political imagination has paved the way for future generations from Harriet Tubman’s radicalism, to Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Democratic Party activism, to Pauli Murray’s liberatory politics, to Tarana Burke’d advocacy for survivor-led healing justice, to the Movement for Black Lives socialist coalition building, etc.
So while I am a Green Party member and register alternatively as an Independent and Democrat depending on when primaries are held, I will continue to vote strategically ALONG WITH holding elected officials accountable. The Democratic Party has the Green Party to thank for authoring the “Green New Deal” about a decade before they caught on to it as a real concern for young people who will inherit the worst of climate change.
The US military machine is the BIGGEST contributor to carbon emissions. The Earth never cared about our political parties and she continues to show us this everyday.
We are seeing in Europe that election norms are shifting and there’s more coalition building with Leftist parties. If Green Party and Labour Party candidates are getting elected there, there’s no reason we should shut down meaningful dialogue about it here.
So yes, I’m young and black and female and many people in my demographic will be hurt the worst by a Trump presidency AND will benefit the least from a Kamala presidency. People will continue to die everyday from multiple world genocides. I get to have and express political agency and feelings about this without being conflated with ignorant ass racist Trump supporters.
I think feminist circles could benefit from resisting antagonistic infighting, and doing what we implore men to do: ask more questions and listen to more vulnerable voices.
I've not voted Democrat since the 90's. I voted for Kamala. MAGA are fascists.
Thank you Zawn!!!! Hearing your endorsement makes me more confident
This is an excellent piece, Zawn. I’m not American but watching closely how things are going from the U.K. The concept of voting for harm reduction is spot on.
Such an excellent, comprehensive, cogent article. I live abroad so my vote has already been sent and received. Good guts to all of us!
Excelent points, specially about the judiciary system. We cannot let the Republicans take it over. There will be terrible and lasting effects if it happens.
Here's an excellent video from Bernie Sanders on voting Harris despite her position on the war in Gaza: https://youtu.be/Vf5MThSniiY?si=4WrO7-IPYDVfM3rf
Also MAGA is a cult https://youtu.be/PNk935S0frI?si=VaF7xhcsXKj3ht4P