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US-VOTE-TURNOUT
Both sides battle to boost voter turnout as US midterms loom
NEW YORK, Nov 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The midterms are coming — and
celebrities, business leaders and even smartphone apps are pitching in to get
as many Americans as possible to the polls for a key test of Donald Trump’s
presidency.
On Thursday, television icon Oprah Winfrey was the latest star to come out
for the Democrats, campaigning door-to-door for Georgia gubernatorial
candidate Stacey Abrams in an Atlanta suburb.
That followed the release of an ad produced by former New York mayor
Michael Bloomberg and featuring actresses including Julianne Moore, Jodie
Foster, Ellen Pompeo and the singer Cher.
Meanwhile, businesses from clothing giants Gap and Levi’s to Walmart as
well as the ride-sharing apps Lyft and Uber are taking steps aimed at
boosting turnout.
Some will give their employees the day off to vote, while Lyft and Uber
will offer cut-price rides to polling stations.
Music streaming platforms Spotify and Pandora are targeting young people,
whose participation is historically particularly feeble, with playlists
featuring direct links to voter registration resources.
Elsewhere, dating app Tinder is sending its users voting reminders, a
measure introduced during the 2016 presidential election.
All these appeals do not specifically mention Trump, or any candidate —
but they are more likely to mobilize potential Democrats, said Harvard
University political science professor Thomas Patterson.
While Republican voters are more “stable,” he said, Democrat-leaning
minorities and young people generally “are more responsive to the
circumstances of the moment.”
– Trump versus anti-Trump –
Midterms traditionally see low voter turnout: in 2014, national
participation stalled at just 37 percent, a record low since World War II.
But this year, Patterson and other experts believe sharp political
divisions will spark a rise, with the latest polls predicting higher
participation in 18 states and the capital Washington.
Figures compiled Saturday by Michael McDonald of the US Elections Project
show that at least 34 million Americans voted early — either by mail or in
person — far higher than the 27 million of 2014.
Patterson is among those who expect total participation on Tuesday to
surpass 40 percent. Others suggest turnout could exceed even 50 percent — a
level not seen since the start of the 20th century.
The midterms are usually decided on local issues, but this year is
different.
“The midterms have become a fully national election,” Patterson said.
“It’s the Trump versus the anti-Trump forces.”
And both ends of the spectrum could be mobilized by recent events, he
added.
Most recently, a series of mail bombs sent to top Democrats by a Trump
supporter and a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue could stir apathetic
Democrats.
On the other hand, a Central American migrant caravan heading to the US-
Mexico border could spur Republicans, already riled up by the battle to
confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after sexual assault
allegations surfaced.
However, the impact of such events is tough to predict and often fleeting.
While February’s Parkland school shooting in Florida could have boosted
youth turnout in the immediate aftermath, “a lot of that energy got
dissipated over the summer,” Patterson said.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1042 hrs