Where We Go From Here: Part Five

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4. A shaken-up Democratic base suddenly faced with the consequences of its apathy and feeling guilty for not voting.

If every person in this country who is eligible to vote actually votes, republicans will never win another election.

Every single republican victory comes down to this: Democratic voters didn't vote.

Some didn't vote because rethuglicans conned, defrauded and intimidated them out of the polls.

Some didn't vote because our ridiculous voting laws require people to jump through hoops - advance registration, limited voting hours, complex voting machinery and overburdened polling places - that most working people can't negotiate.

Some didn't vote because no one asked them. Democratic candidates didn't seek them out. Their state, local and precinct Democratic officials haven't tracked them down, made sure they're registered and can get to the polls, and cleared the way to make voting Democratic easy.

So yes, this disaster is the fault of Democratic voters who didn't vote. It's also the fault of all of us - their neighbors, their precinct officers, their county and state Democratic party and their Democratic candidates - for not giving them reasons to vote and the tools they need to do so.

So get out there and find them: the Democratic voters who aren't voting. Anytime somebody complains about the economy, the government, the general unfairness of life, ask them "Did you vote?" From there, it's just logistics.

Find out who your precinct officers are, and ask them how you can help get every missing Democratic voter to vote in the next election. If your precinct officers are AWOL (mine are, and I showed up in person on a freezing Saturday in April to vote for the fuckers), start nagging your county and state party to name people who will do the job.

Support state and federal legislation that makes voting easy - same-day registration, early voting, extended hours, etc. Oppose the laws that pretend to "protect" the vote but in fact prevent eligible voters from exercising their Constitutional right: picture ID, advance registration, restricted voting hours, etc.

Your first question to every potential and declared Democratic candidate for any office should be this: What are you doing to get non-voting Democratic voters to actually turn out and vote this time?

Read Where We Go From Here Part One here. Part Two here. Part Three here. Part Four here.