CITY CLERK Janice Winfrey and Usher rally a crowd to get young people to the polls.
Election cycles, especially presidential ones, are often prefaced with a “getting the vote out” drive. Many pundits say the turnout numbers are indicative of youth voter apathy, but City Clerk Janice Winfrey thinks this year will be different.
Oct. 6 is the deadline to register for the Nov. 2 election and the Department of Elections is working to galvanize Detroiters.
“This election will probably be historic in nature,” Winfrey said. “To that end, we’ve beefed up. We’re trying to get some of this energy and synergy that’s going around for the upcoming presidential election; we’re just trying to feed off of it.”
This will include TV spots, billboards, radio commercials, and partnering with various organizations. The office has teamed up R&B singer Usher in his “I Can’t But You Can” registration campaign.
“He’s engaging these young people between the ages of 12 and 16 to register adults to vote,” Winfrey said. “In addition, we’re also pairing up with BET.”
The Department of Elections is working on an initiative with DDOT to give free rides to voters on election day.
“Everybody wants to do a voter registration drive, but we like to say that 90 percent of those individuals that are eligible to vote are registered to vote,” Winfrey said. “But the bigger picture is mobilization — getting them to the polls to engage in the process. We expect upwards of a 65 percent voter turnout. We have an African American on the ballot.”
Ten additional booths have been ordered for each precinct. “We expect, we want and we encourage long lines at every election,” she said. “That means folks are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. We’re trying to get our constituency to understand that’s a good thing. We’ve employed a line marshal to make sure those individuals are in the right precinct and that individuals will determine where they should be.”
Daniel Baxter, director of Elections, says that though the Department of Elections is non-partisan, the trends are impossible to ignore.
“One of the observations is that the name Barack Obama has cultivated a synergy that has never been seen before,” Baxter said. “With that whole dynamic at the forefront of this election process, it has moved not only the citizens in the city of Detroit, but even the Democratic Party.”
Baxter criticizes producer/recording artist/entrepreneur P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die” campaign four years ago as being ineffective.
“’Vote or Die’ was a sound bite in my opinion,” Baxter said. “The turnout never panned out. The reason why is that the candidates that you had to chose from was the same soup warmed over. Barack Obama is not that. The conversation is totally different all over the country, all over the world.”
Obama offers a different alternative than John Kerry, Al Gore, or even Bill Clinton in his second run, he noted.
“Barack Obama presents a paradigm shift for America and he also provides hope for the youth and that is probably his greatest resource at this particularly time,” Baxter said. “I think the numbers are going to be well represented. We’re preparing for 100 percent turnout.”
Khary Wae Frazier, 25, hip-hop artist and Detroit advocate, is spearheading his own efforts to get the 18-34 demographic to vote.
“I’m definitely excited,” Frazier said. “I think if any African American can say they’re not inspired by what Barack Obama is doing, I don’t know how they can identify with anything. His whole strategy has been so innovative and out the box it’s humbled me as an artist.”
From text messages to unique Internet exclusive outreaches to the computer literate, Frazier is energized by the promise this election year may hold. He understands the criticism his generation often faces regarding voter turnout, but he says he has only missed one election since turning 18. “I not only vote for the present, but I vote for the school board, the city council, judges – I want my voice to be heard,” Frazier said. “With the 18 to 34 year olds, I don’t feel that many politicians reach out to us. That has a direct effect on the turnout.”
Frazier plans to release a video on YouTube with the help of his friends — a painter, photographer, and film director — to reach out to the youth culture.
“When you don’t vote, you’re still voting because you’re allowing someone else’s voice to speak for you,” he said. “Right now in Detroit, we need to have everyone speaking up on what’s happening. If you’re not voting, no one’s going to make policy for you.”
