Moderate Majority

Most Americans are not consistent voters (according to Pew Research). 36% of us are not registered to vote! And 2/3 of registered voters don't participate in the primaries that determine our candidates!  Importantly, Independents are the largest voting block... 26%. 

What's worse is that the younger you are, the less likely you are to vote (no wonder our government officials are so old). Less than 50% of those 18-24 years old are registered to vote! Compare that to the 78% of those 65-74 years old registered to vote.

Only 38% of voters are registered with one of the major parties that control our politics and government, and fuel the polarization we read about daily. And these voters elect more extreme politicians that don't represent the views of most Americans. leaving a majority feeling marginalized. This creates a vicious cycle where more moderates tune out, allowing politicians to become increasingly extreme and turning off more moderates.

When the more moderate voices of Independents and those not registered (62% of the electorate) don't participate or disengage, bad politicians stay in office or get elected and small minorities are able to lead (only 17% of voters are Republican and only 21% are Democrats). And when young people don't get involved in voting, change often stalls. Not voting, esp. in primaries that determine our candidates, is often a vote for the status quo.

The only way to hold bad politicians to account is to vote them out. The only way to reduce polarization is to vote in more moderate candidates. And the only way to elect politicians that represent most Americans, rather than vocal minorities, is for more Americans to vote, and vote consistently. Independents are the majority! And if more non-registered Americans participated, we could have a more moderate super majority.

Not voting and voter apathy are how bad government and bad politicians succeed. Voting is your voice, your right and a privilege. While it may feel at times as if your vote doesn't matter, it does.  When you vote, you unknowingly set an example and encourage others to vote... your kids, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors. And when you talk to people about voting you amplify your voice and your vote.