Jeff Smith's August 2006 column for Recoil Magazine, titled "The Tyranny of Elections," has been posted in the commentary section of the site. In it, Jeff examines the election, media coverage, and the fact that so many people view voting as the primary means for achieving social change:
When people look at big issues like immigration, war, poverty, racism, reproductive rights, etc….too often the plan of action is “we just have to get the right people elected to office.” Here the tyranny of elections makes voting the primary strategy for social change. So people put all their eggs into this basket and if the candidate we back loses we sit around and mope. Elections should never be a strategy in and of themselves. Elections and voting are tactics that we can use in working for a larger social change strategy. Ask yourself - do any of the fundamental rights we have in this country come about by voting for the right people? Was slavery abolished through voting? How about outlawing child labor? Did the reproductive rights of women come about by voting the right people in? Did the Civil Rights movement use voting as the primary tactic in their effort to end segregation and advocate for racial justice? Did politicians with any of these issues just say “hey, let’s give Black people the right to vote?” No, the only reason the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed is because people were in the streets and challenging the system. The tyranny of elections has taken people away from movement building.
