Boycott the Elections!

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Days away from the election, nationwide polls place candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump practically neck and neck, and both campaigns have ramped up their efforts to convince voters to show up to the polls on November 5th. However, regardless of whichever candidate wins, the working class loses. Our public trust in the government has been falling for decades1, yet we are constantly encouraged to participate in elections for an institution we do not enjoy life under. Wages have been stagnant and the average person struggles to pay rent, buy groceries, or take care of their families. In response, our current leaders protect the wealth of the ruling class by limiting their taxes and increasing the reach and power of the police. Participating in the election now, more than ever, only serves to uphold the oppressive state we live under, and cannot reasonably improve our lives in the long term.

Harris

Since her replacement of Biden as the 2024 Democratic candidate, Harris has been presented as the “lesser of two evils” for marginalized people in America, yet her recent policy positions clearly work against us. On several occasions, she has emphasized stricter immigration policy and border control. In fact, when a Univision town hall attendee shared a tearful story of how her mother passed away without gaining citizenship, Harris informed her that she would work to implement a border security bill that would hire 1,500 more border agents as if this could contribute to a better immigration policy2 3. In addition, despite the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and its support of renewable energy, Harris reassured Michigan voters that they would not have to worry about an electric vehicle mandate4. Making such a remark while several states have suffered the impact of climate change-driven hurricanes Milton and Helene only reminds us that a Democratic government cannot truly conceive of a world where we are not dependent on fossil fuels and dealing with their devastating effects.

However, the policy position that makes it entirely clear where Harris stands when it comes to oppressed people is her consistent support of Israel. Her website clearly states that “she will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself”5. Supporting Israel in her policies and her direct treatment of protesters and activists shows that Harris cannot and will not ever ensure the freedom of the Palestinian people once elected. She has also repeated the Israeli state’s lies about Hamas members mutilating babies, despite the fact that these claims have been proven completely wrong. A vague implication of “working around the clock” to help Palestinians realize “self-determination” will not materially benefit Palestine if the U.S  government continues to send billions of dollars to Israel and support the genocidal state’s right to exist.

For those of us in America, this should send a clear signal. A Democratic government’s support of laws that improve the lives of oppressed people within the U.S. means nothing if it will continue to destroy those of others around the globe. We have been “prioritized” (if the current state of marginalized people in the U.S. can be described that way) only because neoliberal institutions think that this is necessary for the time being, and the government has no issue with oppressing its own people to continue to protect its power. For example, protections for queer people in America have been severely reduced and Democrats have run transphobic ads in several states saying they will not “let boys in girls sports”. In addition, despite the government supporting the right to protest in theory, the FBI has surveilled Black activist movements for years, which has evolved into their monitoring of social media activity and labeling liberal activists as “threat actors”6. For politicians in power, our daily realities are merely statistics they need to adjust by saying the right thing on stage or passing the right law – they are not invested in our futures.

Trump

Readers of this publication will most likely be familiar with Trump as the more overtly fascist candidate running for president. Trump’s rhetoric around immigration is explicitly racist, famously claiming in 2017 that Mexico “isn’t sending their best. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists”7. This year, he repeated the unsubstantiated claim that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio. Does it matter that this story is completely fake and the person who originally made this claim on Facebook has retracted it?8 Not in the slightest. For Trump and his voter base, the actual truth is unimportant. His running mate, J.D Vance, acknowledges that the story is fake, but went ahead to say that he decided to repeat the lie over and over to draw attention to the “suffering of the American people.”9 At this point in the election cycle, Republicans find that creating an atmosphere of fear and violent tendencies towards minorities, and specifically Black people, will serve them better than any serious policy positions that Trump could present on stage. During the debate, Trump stated that Harris would “perform transgender operations on illegal aliens”, a phrase that almost parodies itself. Outside of anti-immigration laws, Trump aligns himself with Elon Musk and the rest of the billionaire class to secure their positions in our capitalist system. He has also openly voiced his support for Israel, most recently telling Netanyahu, “Do what you have to do” after Israel bombarded several buildings in southern Lebanon.10 Regardless of the language used by Trump and Vance, it’s important to remember that they are just as invested in continuing the oppression of the working class in the U.S. and worldwide as Democrats are.

The Media’s Complicity

In response to openly racist rhetoric from a presidential candidate, the neoliberal media chooses to pull their punches and prioritize less impactful wording that could illustrate the harmful nature of these claims. For example, Trump stated at a rally in Wisconsin that undocumented immigrants would “walk into your kitchen, they’ll cut your throat”, which both the New York Times and the Washington Post chose to omit from their coverage of the event.11 Partly due to such editorial choices, trust in mainstream media is at an all-time low, and corporate media has served the interests of the bourgeoisie for decades. Media ownership has increasingly become more and more concentrated – the largest 25 media corporations employ 38% of journalists in the U.S.12 For smaller news stations, this type of consolidation often leads to a lack of reporting on local news and a focus on inflammatory national stories. Larger publications, on the other hand, are free to advance the narratives that benefit them the most financially. We only raise this point to further illustrate how several systems in the U.S. work together to create an atmosphere of legitimacy around voting in this election, as the media chooses to downplay candidates’ racism to create the pretense of “neutrality” or “accuracy”.

Voting for a “Progressive” Candidate

Many liberals argue that voting for Democrats will aid in our goal of revolution. Some have also claimed that a presidential candidate like Harris can be “pushed left” to fall in line with working class needs. However, participating in the U.S. political system makes it impossible to create true revolution. “Progressive” members of Congress and the Senate make concessions throughout their political careers to continue to participate in capitalism and drive American imperialism: for example, despite Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s supposed socialist values, she chose to endorse Biden for a second term and also supported a resolution in Congress that “recognizes that denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism”. When it comes to Harris, she has consistently opted for “moderate” and more right-wing stances, which is unlikely to wildly change if she is voted into office. Besides the earlier examples in this article, another clear indication of her moderate stance is how she has not demonstrated a commitment toward securing stronger abortion rights outside of restoring Roe. v. Wade, despite the fact that its protections were already flawed by the time it was overruled.13 

For third party or independent candidates, they are simply outspent by Democrats and Republicans. Even if a third party could somehow operate outside of the U.S.’ flawed system, they do not have the funds to gain a significant portion of the voter base.

Why Boycott?

One key takeaway from both political candidates’ positions is this: each of them believe that the current voting base is leaning more right-wing despite the fact that this generally does not reflect the views of the working class. For example, while a majority of Americans believe the government should ensure that all Americans have health care,14 industry groups including insurance companies and private hospitals have consistently lobbied against platforms like Medicare for All.15 Similarly, despite the fact that many Americans believe that our tax filing system is too complicated, the government does not prioritize making the situation any simpler. Companies like TurboTax have funneled millions into making sure that the average person is forced to opt into their private, often paid service,16 even attempting to block the IRS’ free tax filing program.

By choosing to vote this year, we would be opting for a government that actively works against our interests. Capitalism cannot create a better future, but this is the only option that these parties present.

In response to this reality, we don’t have to give up and despair.

Election boycotts have driven change before and clearly show when we are dissatisfied with our institutions in power. Revolutionaries in India successfully boycotted the parliamentary elections in April and May of 1996, despite hundreds of thousands of military forces being deployed to intimidate people into voting.17

In the same year, Bangladeshi voters boycotted scheduled elections in February to demand that the ruling Prime Minister step down and hand over to a caretaker government. Only 21% of voters ended up participating in the election and organized strikes from opposition parties ensured that the Bangladesh National Party’s victory lasted only 12 days. This led to new elections taking place in June, with a voter turnout of about 75%.18 19

More recently in 2017, Puerto Ricans boycotted a referendum for statehood – only 23% of voters showed up to the polls, reflecting their view that the referendum was flawed and could not ensure their self-determination.20 Even with most of the votes being for Puerto Rican statehood, the low voter turnout was not enough for Congress to put any real legislation into effect.

Unions

We have seen historic, high-profile strikes throughout the year by different unions including the United Auto Workers, the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA and most recently, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). Unfortunately, none of these strikes have been militant or revolutionary, and workers have been forced to accept slight reform over the radical change they ask for. For example, the ILA’s strike for better wages and protections against automation demonstrated how critical dockworkers are for the economy – they halted the flow of half the country’s ocean shipping21 and it is estimated that it takes 4 to 6 days for a port to recover from a one-day strike.22

However, the ILA’s president also emphasized the union’s commitment to handling U.S. military cargo, continuing to perpetrate U.S. imperialism and not taking advantage of an important opportunity to stop weapons shipments to Israel during its genocide of the Palestinian people.23 Even for its own members, the ILA failed to secure the wage increase they needed: the union agreed to a 62% wage increase instead of the 77% over six years, despite the billion dollar profits earned by their employers in the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). Besides this, the union has still not come to an agreement about using automated machinery with the USMX. Despite the recent publicity union action has enjoyed, we should remember that state union leadership often collaborates with the ruling class in these ways instead of with workers. Our main takeaway should be a renewed desire to demonstrate our strategic power as the working class.

In the End

By unifying in similar ways, whether at work, as tenants, or in protest, we can make our unjust leadership panic and pressure them into listening to our demands. After all, without this type of radical action, we do not have the financial or societal sway to liberate ourselves. 

We can work together to secure our own future, as we have already done independent of the government’s support for years on smaller scales. We must divert our energy from ineffective elections and instead organize against the state.

  1. Bell, Peter. “Public Trust in Government: 1958-2024.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 24 June 2024, http://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024/. ↩︎
  2. White House. “Remarks by Vice President Harris in a Univision Town Hall with Enrique Acevedo.” The White House, The United States Government, 11 Oct. 2024, http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/10/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-in-a-univision-town-hall-with-enrique-acevedo/. ↩︎
  3. Kurtzleben, Danielle, and Jason Breslow. “Harris Uses Town Hall to Show Empathy with Latino Voters.” NPR, NPR, 11 Oct. 2024, http://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/nx-s1-5147253/kamala-harris-univision-town-hall. ↩︎
  4. Ordoñez, Franco. “In Michigan, Harris Hits Back against Trump over His Electric Car Attack Lines.” NPR, NPR, 5 Oct. 2024, http://www.npr.org/2024/10/04/nx-s1-5140654/kamala-harris-trump-electric-vehicles-flint. ↩︎
  5. Harris for President. “Issues.” Kamala Harris for President: Official Campaign Website, 21 Oct. 2024, kamalaharris.com/issues/. ↩︎
  6. Klippenstein, Ken. “FBI Hired Social Media Surveillance Firm That Labeled Black Lives Matter Organizers ‘Threat Actors.’” The Intercept, 30 Aug. 2023, theintercept.com/2023/07/06/fbi-social-media-surveillance-zerofox/. ↩︎
  7. Phillips, Amber. “‘They’re Rapists.’ President Trump’s Campaign Launch Speech Two Years Later, Annotated – The Washington Post.” The Washington Post, 16 June 2017, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/16/theyre-rapists-presidents-trump-campaign-launch-speech-two-years-later-annotated/. ↩︎
  8. Orozco, Jessica. “Springfield Police Say No Reports of Pets Stolen, Eaten, after Viral Social Media Post.” Springfield News, http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-police-say-no-reports-of-pets-stolen-after-viral-social-media-post/3WSIZQNHQVE4NP4TS5BVHBB2PY/. ↩︎
  9. Helmore, Edward. “JD Vance Admits He Is Willing to ‘create Stories’ to Get Media Attention.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 Sept. 2024, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/15/jd-vance-lies-haitian-immigrants. ↩︎
  10. Arnsdorf, Isaac. “Trump Signals Support in Call with Netanyahu: ‘Do What You Have to Do.’” The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2024, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/25/trump-netanyahu-support-gaza-lebanon/. ↩︎
  11. Bauder, David. “Sanewashing? The Banality of Crazy? A Decade into the Trump Era, Media Hasn’t Figured Him Out.” AP News, AP News, 9 Oct. 2024, apnews.com/article/trump-media-election-rallies-facts-kamala-harris-e906e990b5dcfe44b5e672336fe82b32. ↩︎
  12. Andrews, et al. “Media Consolidation Means Less Local News, More Right Wing Slant.” Stanford Graduate School of Business, 30 July 2019, http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/media-consolidation-means-less-local-news-more-right-wing-slant. ↩︎
  13. Messerly, Megan, and Alice Miranda Ollstein. Kamala Harris’ Call for ‘Reproductive Freedom’ Means Restoring Roe – Politico, http://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/kamala-harris-abortion-restoring-roe-00171657. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024. ↩︎
  14. Jones, Bradley. “Increasing Share of Americans Favor a Single Government Program to Provide Health Care Coverage.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 29 Sept. 2020, http://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/09/29/increasing-share-of-americans-favor-a-single-government-program-to-provide-health-care-coverage/. ↩︎
  15. Evers-Hillstrom, Karl. “Big Pharma, Insurers, Hospitals Team up to Kill Medicare for All.” OpenSecrets News, 12 Aug. 2019, http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/03/big-pharma-insurers-hospitals-team-up-to-kill-medicare-for-all/. ↩︎
  16. Massoglia, Anna. “Tax Prep Companies That Spent over $90 Million Lobbying against Free Tax-Filing System Face New Scrutiny from Lawmakers.” OpenSecrets News, 1 Sept. 2023, http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/09/tax-prep-companies-lobbying-against-free-file-face-scrutiny-from-lawmakers/. ↩︎
  17. The Worker #2. “Boycott of Parliamentary Elections by Communist Revolutionaries in India.” The Worker, Organ of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), June 1996. ↩︎
  18. Lawal, Shola. “Bans and Boycotts: The Troubled History of Bangladesh’s Elections.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 5 Jan. 2024, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/5/bangladesh-elections-a-timeline-of-controversy. ↩︎
  19. “Political Developments and Political Violence.” Refworld, 1 May 1998, http://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/irbc/1998/en/95520. ↩︎
  20. Democracy Now! “Puerto Rico Backs Statehood in Referendum Boycotted by Opposition Groups.” Democracy Now!, 12 June 2017, http://www.democracynow.org/2017/6/12/puerto_rico_backs_statehood_in_referendum. ↩︎
  21. Oladipo, Doyinsola, and David Shepardson. US Dockworkers Strike, Halting Half the Nation’s Ocean Shipping | Reuters, 2 Oct. 2024, http://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-east-coast-dockworkers-head-toward-strike-after-deal-deadline-passes-2024-10-01/. ↩︎
  22. Isidore, Chris. “America Is on Strike. Here’s the Progress Unions Have Made | CNN Business.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Sept. 2023, http://www.cnn.com/2023/09/30/business/us-labor-unions-strike-surge/index.html. ↩︎
  23. “ILA Will Maintain Pledge to Handle Military Cargo during Strike; Passenger Cruise Ships to Be Unaffected by 10/1 Strike.” ILA Union, 25 Sept. 2024, ilaunion.org/ila-will-maintain-pledge-to-handle-military-cargo-during-strike-passenger-cruise-ships-to-be-unaffected-by-10-1-strike/. ↩︎

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