Leader not surprised by lack of voting among African-Americans, all Arizonans
Feb 22, 2016, 6:00 AM
Arizona ranks 42nd in the nation for political engagement for African Americans and that’s not surprising to some.
“We’re not civically engaged,” said Greater Phoenix Urban League president George Dean in reaction to the rankings of low voter registration and voter turnout, according to WalletHub. “Arizona basically is a low-turnout state period, not just for African-Americans, but for all registered voters.”
There’s nothing making people want to vote, he said.
“People get an attitude that ‘why vote?’ ” Dean added. “My vote doesn’t count.”
Dean called for a greater push for education programs about the importance of registering to vote and then voting.
“The sixth largest city in this country and you get a 20 percent voter turnout for the mayor. That’s ridiculous.” he said. “That means the minority is electing the mayor and the council members.”
Where should education programs begin? Start educating those nearing voting age — voter turnout should be addressed as well.
“We need to be talking to all of the kids that’s going to be 18 by November,” he said. “There needs to be class in every high school in this Valley and in this state.”
