Texas will hold its Democratic and Republican primaries on March 5, Super Tuesday.
Many decades ago, the vote was something people were willing to put their lives on the line for.
For Black Americans, the White power structure enacted barriers like poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses to make it difficult for them to vote.
And when some tried to break through those barriers, they were often met with violent resistance and even death.
However, decades later some have lost faith in the power of the vote.
Many minority voters believe that the Democratic Party has taken their support for granted.
Additionally, many people of color have criticized the Republican Party for trying to roll back racial progress and hindering the progress of equity, diversity and inclusion.
That potential apathy has dire consequences as the country comes upon Super Tuesday and a presidential election that many believe will determine the future of American democracy as well as racial and religious equality.
Texas will be a part of the Super Tuesday primary.
However, early voting for the primaries began on Feb. 20 in “The Lone Star State.”
Unfortunately, as of Feb. 22, only approximately 31,000 of Harris County, Texas’ 2.5 million registered voters had cast a ballot.
Despite the low number of early voters during the first week, early voting often picks up during the second week, which concludes today (March 1), said Tenisha Hudspeth, Harris County, Texas clerk.
Furthermore, many voters have said that they are put off by the primary, instead choosing to wait until November to cast their ballot during the 2024 general election.
Hudspeth said, “What’s most important is getting voters activated to understand that this is just one election that continues throughout the entire year until we get to November.”
Nevertheless, the low numbers are alarming for many because Harris County has 79 early voting locations and voters can vote at any location no matter where they live within the county.
On Election Day, Harris County will have over 545 polling locations.
But unlike early voting, on Election Day voters must vote at the correct voting location based on their residence.
Furthermore, Texas has open primaries meaning that a voter does not have to be officially registered as a member of particular political party to vote in that party’s primary.
Although president, United States senator and United States representatives get much of the attention, Harris County has 56-65 races on the ballot depending on where the voter lives.
But how do ethnic political leaders get communities of colors to recognize that their vote does actually matter?
Additionally, their vote can ensure that many of the people running their local, state and federal government can look like them and come from similar backgrounds if they actually take part in the political process.
Texas state Rep. Gene Wu told Houston’s ethnic media leaders that Fort Bend County, Texas once was controlled by non-minorities.
Wu said, “Fort Bend was broadly controlled by Republicans and old White dudes for the entire history of Fort Bend. And all of a sudden, African-American community, Asian community, Latino community rose up and said, ‘enough!”
Now, the diverse county is represented by leaders who more accurately reflect the diversity in the county, which is right outside of Houston.
People of color were able to flip Fort Bend County, and they have maintained that control over the years.
Despite the success of minority voters in Fort Bend County, Wu said that minorities are living in dangerous times because many Republicans want to roll back the advancements that minorities have made over the years.
Wu said that when people want power, they look for scapegoats.
Unfortunately, he believes that Black Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and other minority groups are being used as scapegoats in a quest to regain power for those in the overall majority.
He said that many Republicans now view affirmative action in college admissions as “woke,” rolling back the program that had increased diversity on college campuses.
Wu said that anti-Asian hate crimes are up 700 percent.
He said, “Ever since COVID our community has seen an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.”
Despite the grim reality, many politicians believe that now is not the time to become apathetic.
Wu said that if a person has ever felt the boot of oppression on their neck, then they should come join them in their fight for equality and representation.
He added, “We will come together as a coalition, and we will vote.”
The Fort Bend town of Missouri City, Texas has shown what can happen when members of the community form a coalition to make change.
Many of the street names and subdivisions in the area paid homage to the Confederacy and the days of segregation.
Missouri City, Texas City Councilmember Jeffrey L Boney said that members of the Black community came together to get those names changed to things more unifying.
Boney said, “In one of my subdivisions called Vicksburg, for many years, the residents in that area, particularly African-Americans, wanted their street names changed. One of the street names in Missouri City in that subdivision was named after the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest.”
The city councilmember met with the city attorney and discovered that it required 90 percent of the residents on a street to sign a petition to get a street name changed.
They were able to get names changed to better reflect the residents of the neighborhood.
Boney said, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
Voting gives everyone a seat at the table.
And at that table is where change occurs.
