How Changemakers View the Importance of Voter Participation

Civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill is asking Americans to vote in their local elections. 

“I’m so tired of the magical thinking about democracy. I do need people to learn how the government works, and we have a tripartite system of government,” Ilfill said at the TIME Women’s Leadership Forum in New York City on Tuesday. 

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The event took place on the same night as the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and a panel on the art of advocacy featured Ifill, actor Kerry Washington, founder of Black Leaders Organizing Communities Angela Lang, and co-founder of the Voto Latino Foundation María Teresa Kumar. 

Ifill highlighted how, while much attention is focused on the upcoming presidential election, a lot of the change people want to see in the country depends on legislation written by Congress—and even more is dictated by the local elections that people typically overlook. The 2020 presidential election saw record voter turnout, as about two-thirds of voting-eligible Americans took to the polling booth, though local elections often see much lower turnout rates.

“If you’re not voting for those school board elections, then your kids aren’t going to be able to read Toni Morrison books, right?” said Ifill. The discussion comes as culture wars have exploded in school boards across the country, causing book bans and barring discussions about LGBTQ+ issues, among other issues. 

The biggest way to make your voice heard is at the voting booth. “We as people, all of us, each one of us, has the power to transform culture and democracy in our participation,” Washington, who has partnerships with multiple voting organizations, told moderator TIME editor in chief Sam Jacobs.

Kumar believes that there should be greater support for organizations that are working on speaking to Gen Z voters. “They will be the difference,” says Kumar. “Focus on organizations that are literally growing that electoral base, that are telling people that democracy is not icky, but that it’s incredibly effective the moment they jump in. Because once you convince a young person that they can change the world, not only do they start voting, but then they start running for office. Then they start changing our school board. But they need that hope.”

As candidates work to garner the support of Americans, especially communities of color, panelists said the best way to do that is to meaningfully connect with Black and Latino communities. “We’re not just talking to our community when we want to engage around elections,” said Lang. “I think when that is rooted in the joy of the community, that level of organizing goes from transactional to transformative.”

The TIME100 Women’s Leadership Forum was presented by Barbie, Deloitte, and ŌURA.