Thousands of Ferguson residents have been registering to vote after the fatal shooting of the unarmed teen, Mike Brown, by a white police officer, Darren Wilson. After more than a month of protests and racial tension, residents wish to see more diverse representation in local leadership and government.
Voter registration has spiked by 30 percent since the August 9 shooting. In a town of 21,000, approximately 3,300 residents have registered to vote, representing two-thirds of new voters in St. Louis County.
Ferguson’s population is approximately 70% African-American, yet 5 of 6 Ferguson council members are white and the mayor, James Knowels, is a white Republican.
Organizations such as the NAACP, the League of Women Voters as well as fraternities and sororities have succeeded in boosting civic participation by working to register Ferguson residents. Other community members have worked at getting out the vote by handing out mail-in registration cards.
Some Republicans are upset by the surge of predominately black voters. Matt Willis, the Executive Director of the Missouri GOP, criticized the effort to boost registration by saying “If that’s not fanning the political flames, I don’t know what is. I think it’s not only disgusting but completely inappropriate…Injecting race into this conversation and into this tragedy, not only is not helpful, but it doesn’t help a continued conversation of justice and peace.”
The 2013 municipal elections resulted in a significantly low black voter turnout compared to the white population, with only 6 percent of blacks showing up to the polls. Ferguson’s white voters are older and outnumber young voters. Additionally, there is a correlation to voter participation and home ownership. The majority of black residents are renters.
Ferguson is representative of a national pattern where white officials govern cities with black majorities. Mike Brown’s death and ongoing racial tensions could mark an important and significant demographic shift in the November elections.
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