There's been lots of discussion about expanding the electorate -- and why Democratic candidates have seen cycle after cycle of devastating losses, especially when more Americans than ever believe the political process and parties are rigged against them. Voter turnout was far lower than projected in 2016. For Democratic voters, midterm elections are often even worse.
We know what the problem is: a Beltway conventional wisdom that says campaigns should focus all their resources on a tiny pool of white, wealthy, conservative voters at the expense of everyone else. That produces a constant cycle where big Democratic Party institutions ignore voters of color, rural white voters, progressives, and young people -- leaving lots of potentially transformative voters, candidates, and campaigners out in the cold.
We also know how to solve it. We need to build a reflective democracy, where our political process reflects the lived experiences, needs, and values of all Americans, not just the wealthy, white, and privileged few. We need to invest people-powered organizing with expanded voter turnout models, as we did throughout the 2016 cycle, when DFA members helped send 64 more incredible progressives to higher office. And there's no one who has proven the power and possibility of that work more than House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams of Georgia.
Stacey Abrams discusses her model for expanding the electorate and the future of electoral campaigning in the Trump era.