Commentary: For far too long, apathy plagued a generation. In most recent elections, young voters, disenfranchised and discouraged, have stayed home on Election day. All of that changed in 2020 as hoards of Millennials anxiously flooded the voting polls; standing in line for hours and risking infection from Covid-19, the virus that turned the world on its head.
Young voters are increasingly engaged but tend to be less aligned with either major party. They are more open to third parties and registering as independents. Fusion voting will bring more young voters into the fold and include the disenfranchised in the political process.
We have demands. We want progress, we want change. We want our outcries to transform talk into action. We spent 2020 locked in our homes, we watched a cop kneel on a man’s neck, millions protested injustice and watched as a tense election season turned into utter turmoil. That is not the world we want to live in.
Young Americans want to build a new world; a just world where our grievances are heard and we no longer live at the mercy of the wealthy and powerful. We want choices and more than anything, we want our power back.
Fusion voting is one pathway to power for the young voter. Instead of an America dominated by a polarized, “winner takes all” party system that isolates power to the political party with the bigger check-book, we get more options at the voting booth. The people should have a right to more diversity on the ballot; candidates should be able to run under multiple party lines, giving Americans the options they deserve and building a more inclusive and diverse coalition behind candidates..
We all are fed up with the status quo but it is up to us to change it. Fusion voting expands democracy by providing more voters and candidates more options. The states that currently use a fusion voting system have seen an increase in turnout among voters of color, new voters, young voters, and independents. New Mexico wins when more voters are involved and have their voices heard.
The fusion voting bill SB-100 will be heard in the Senate Rules committee soon. Our legislators need to hear why we need fusion voting in our state. Please contact your state legislator and ask them to support SB-100 so we can return power to the people -- especially younger voters who we need for a healthy democracy.