In order to convince 337,826 people to vote, volunteers have to clean a lot of doors. All Taylor Swift needed was an Instagram post. She cleverly took advantage of the first TV debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to then give her recommendation for the Democrat Harris. At the same time, she linked the website vote.gov, where Americans could register for the November 5 presidential election. 337,826 took advantage of the opportunity.
Anyone who wants to vote in the USA must register
Of the 333 million US citizens, 240 million are eligible to vote – but that doesn’t mean they can vote. Unlike in Germany, for example, there is no registration system and therefore no official voter lists. Who in the United States If you want to vote, you must first register and only then receive your voting rights. This intermediate step prevents many people from voting, and in some areas it is even used to prevent certain groups from voting. We answer why the USA always votes on Tuesdays in our article.
In principle, every American aged 18 and over is entitled to vote. But there are exceptions and some are particularly perfidious: In the majority of states, prison inmates are excluded from voting. In some states, even for life after release. A suspended sentence can also lead to the deprivation of the right to vote. Around six million people are affected by these regulations, an above-average number of whom are black and poor Americans.
No water for those waiting in front of the polling station
In some communities, voter registration requires one A variety of documents that are often impossible or difficult to obtain for poorer people and residents of remote places. In the highly competitive Georgia, the options for postal voting were restricted a few years ago. It is now also forbidden to approach people waiting in line, even to give them a drink of water. These restrictions would clearly target socially disadvantaged citizens, a number of whom would vote Democratic, civil rights activists complain.
For years there has been a real race in many corners of the USA to find the most creative way possible to keep certain groups of voters away from the polls. North Carolina, for example, regularly reduces the number of polling stations and thus lengthens travel distances. This has consequences especially for people without a car. In combination with Tuesday as election day, this means that citizens who want to vote have to take time off, which many people cannot afford. Here too, African Americans are most likely to be affected.
Despite everything: voter turnout is increasing
That’s popular too the so-called gerrymandering. The constituencies are tailored in such a way that certain parties de facto cannot win there. To put it simply, streets with known party political advantages are bundled together or broken up – depending on the “desired” result. This practice is common throughout the USA and has been approved by the highest courts. However, conservative areas use them much more often than democratically governed areas.
Despite these (increasing) obstacles: more and more Americans are casting their votes. Voter turnout has been increasing for years and was most recently almost 63 percent.
Who will win the 2024 US election? Whether it will be Harris or Trump, read our news blog about the US election results.
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