MFP Voices
Opinion | Low Voter Turnout Is a Threat to Mississippi’s Democracy
Duvalier Malone writes that low voter turnout delegitimizes the government, affects minorities and threatens Mississippi’s democracy.
November 6, 2023
MFP Contributor
Duvalier Malone writes that low voter turnout delegitimizes the government, affects minorities and threatens Mississippi’s democracy.
Duvalier Malone writes that frequently changing polling places during elections not only confuse, disenfranchise and further alienate Mississippi voters in marginalized communities of color, but also put the state’s democracy at risk.
Duvalier Malone believes it is imperative for Mississippi voters to consider the disparities facing the Black population in the state during the upcoming election for governor in 2024. That should include tackling poverty and improving educational opportunities for Black students, and ensuring all citizens have equal access to high-quality health care, job opportunities and housing, he argues.
Duvalier Malone reflects on the recent death of Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman whose accusations led to the kidnapping, beating and lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Miss., in August 1955, writing that “her death reopens old wounds for the family and all of Black America simply because justice never came.”
“We must take action to ensure that (our children) are kept safe and protected from these horrific acts of gun violence,” Duvalier Malone writes in response to the recent mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian Church School campus in Nashville, Tenn. “It is our responsibility as adults to make sure that our children are safe and secure and that they have the support they need to heal and move forward.”
Duvalier Malone explains that America’s political system could be on the brink of collapse if our current leaders do not come up with an adequate succession plan to properly fill future leadership positions. “Only then can we ensure that our government is truly representative of the people and that the public’s interests are being served,” he writes.
Now that Georgia has sent a clear message, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Right Act immediately, Duvalier Malone writes.
Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people.
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