By: Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher
San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper
Chairman of the Board of Directors, NNPA
June 2nd is the date for the California Primary, and for many of us, it’s more important or just as important as the November General Election. Why? With the number of
Democratic Candidates running, some people will opt out of voting altogether. Too many of us as Black people vote for those our friends suggest on every basis except asking if the candidates stand for anything we believe in. Too many of us as Black people will vote “slates,” that is, pre-determined groups of people running together, as if they all believe in and are committed to what we personally want and need in a candidate. This means that some people who clearly should not be elected or re-elected will get into office on the strength of other people.
Let’s look at a good example of what we mean. Dr. Shirley Weber is rightfully running unopposed for another term as California Secretary of State. We could not have a better person in that position during this time when Trump is trying to intimidate every Secretary of State and get the Electoral Process changed to suit his purpose. Many of us will probably get campaign literature with Dr. Weber’s name and a host of other people the mailers of those materials would like to see elected. By tying those other candidates to Dr. Weber’s goodwill and reputation, they hope the others will automatically get elected with her.
We must not elect people who have not shown or proven they should be elected, just because of who their names appear with on campaign materials
Now is the time to ask questions. Here is an early indicator, and this applies across the nation. Do candidates seeking your support seek to reach you through your community newspapers instead of showing up at your church the Sunday before Election Day with a smile and no substance? Are you seeking to make a decision based on how many times a candidate appears on television, as opposed to seeking to reach you directly? What their budget happens to be is not your problem and should not be an excuse. We know from experience that where the dollars go, the heart follows.
Finally, some political experts have already determined that our community of Black and African American voters is so small percentage-wise that they really don’t have to spend any dollars to get our votes. What’s important is that you don’t buy that idea. In the 1964 Supreme Court Decision, Reynolds vs. Sims, the Court established the “One Man, One Vote” principle based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The bottom line is that your individual vote does count and elections have been won or lost by a single vote. We must reestablish the importance of our vote. “We” are the people responsible for the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act that so many benefit from today.
So, let us be reminded of the importance of our vote and let us prepare to vote, not friendship and smiles, but substance and integrity. We have already seen by the Trump supporters who hold public office that their loyalty is not to the Constitution and therefore cannot be for us.
