I don’t believe you can shame people into voting. It only makes them defensive and even more unwilling to go to the polls. But I will insist on dispelling a popular myth about the utility of not-voting, namely, that you can shape the behavior of politicians and other political actors by refusing to vote unless they adopt your views. |
The argument usually goes like this: If we, as a bloc, refuse to vote for the political party nearest to our views, and that party loses as a result, then the party’s leaders will adopt our views in an effort to win the next election. This dynamic, by that reasoning, gives us leverage. |
It sounds persuasive, but it suffers from a fatal error. In a two-party system with winner-take-all rules, voting is binary. The only information it carries is a binary preference: “Yes” this candidate should be elected, or “No” this candidate should not be. Nonvoting, by definition, carries no particular information. And although you, the nonvoter, can announce your intention, your target, the party leader, has no way to disaggregate intentional nonvoters from incidental nonvoters. |
Nor do political leaders have a way to determine the marginal impact of each non-vote, i.e., was it nonvoting that actually cost them the election, or a failure to win over some group of people who actually cast a ballot? And because it takes a fair amount of effort to convert a nonvoter into a voter (since nonvoting, like voting, is a habit), the most rational path for the party leader to take is not to seek out the exact group of nonvoters who rejected voting to force a different outcome, but to look for voters who might switch sides given a different set of cues, incentives and appeals. There’s also the simple fact that moving a marginal vote counts twice: you get a vote, and your opponent loses one. |
In a system like ours, this has the perverse effect — from the perspective of the intentional nonvoter — of drawing the losing party closer to its opponent. Far from exercising leverage, intentional nonvoters render themselves irrelevant and ineffectual. The better bet, somewhat counter-intuitively, is to become a reliable voter — to present your group, interest or community as an integral part of the party’s success. It comes with its own risk — being taken advantage of as a coalition partner chief among them — but politicians and party leaders are far more likely to listen to and consider people who can deliver votes, and thus victories, as opposed to those who can’t. |
Ronald Brownstein on President Trump’s determined effort to split the country into two warring factions, also in The Atlantic. |
Asad Haider on race, class and identity in his personal newsletter. |
Henry Holt on Nancy Pelosi in The American Prospect magazine. |
If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to friends. They can sign up here. If you want to share your thoughts on an item in this week’s newsletter or on the newsletter in general, please email me at jamelle-newsletter@nytimes.com. |
 | | The Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond, Va.Jamelle Bouie |
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Last month, my wife and I went down to Richmond, Va. to check out the Robert E. Lee memorial on Monument Ave. Covered in graffiti and art, surrounded by a newly installed community garden and community library, the memorial has taken on new meaning as a space for protest and inclusion. It is remarkable and well worth seeing if you ever have the opportunity. |
Now Eating: Stir-Fried Tofu and Peppers |
I may have mentioned this in a previous newsletter, but I picked up a carbon steel wok and have been using it all of the time. I made this recipe for lunch earlier in the week, and it was great! I served it with jasmine rice, but noodles would work just as well. Recipe from The New York Times’s Cooking section. |
- ½ pound firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut in 1-inch squares
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1-inch squares
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths
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Optional step for firmer tofu: Blot the tofu dry, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and place a cutting board on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Whether weighted or not, slice the tofu about ½ inch thick into 1- x 2-inch dominoes. |
Mix together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium bowl. Toss with the tofu, and stir to make sure all of the pieces are coated. Let sit for five to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. |
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining soy sauce and sugar, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Set aside. |
Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until the garlic and ginger begin to smell fragrant, and add the tofu, dried red pepper flakes and green onions. Stir-fry two minutes, give the sauce a stir and add to the pan. Cover and cook for three minutes. Remove the lid, stir the ingredients in the pan, and taste and adjust seasonings. |
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