The November 2000 popular vote proves that all the pre-election polls did not reflect the true sentiment of the majority in our country. Labor, along with other progressive forces like the NAACP, Coalition of Black Trade Unions, National Organization for Women and Rainbow/Push Coalition turned out the “unlikely voters.�
Who were these unlikely voters? Youth, women, people of color and people in the low income brackets. These are the groups that were decisive to Gore winning the popular vote:
*Youth were 17 percent of all those who voted Nov. 7. They voted 48 percent for Gore, 46 percent Bush and 5 percent Nader.
*Union families make up only 12 percent of the entire electorate yet they made up 26 percent of all voters.
*10 percent of all voters were African American and they voted 90 percent against Bush.
African-American women were 6 percent of the electorate and voted 94 percent for Gore.
*Latinos constituted 4 percent of the vote nationally and in California they were 14 percent of the vote. Latinos voted 67 percent against Bush.
*Women, the largest group of voters at 52 percent voted 54 percent against Bush.
*Seniors voted 51 percent for Gore.
However, with people making over $100,000 constituting 15 percent of all voters, the right wing is still a serious threat. There is still a large sector of the population in rural areas who, for a number of reasons, are influenced by right-wing ideology, especially on issues like gun control and abortion.
The Republicans spent $3 billion, 15 times more than labor. And still they lost key congressional seats, local races and the popular vote. The same grass-roots coalitions that hit the streets with door knocking, literature drops, phone banking, worksite distributions, community forums and more are giving the GOP a run for its money.
The battle continues from the voting booths to the streets (and courtrooms) as the Republicans try to heist the elections via the Florida votes. The people have only begun to fight in defense of democracy. The battle continues.
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Dynamic Magazine
