Can Massive Election Turnout Save Democracy?

Oct 23, 2024

Polls around the nation show Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in several decision-making swing states ahead of the presidential election on Nov. 5. With enormous amounts of swirling in the media ecosphere, including from prominent figures like billionaire Elon Musk, little is guaranteed as voters begin or readying their sample ballots to take into the voting booth.聽

The outcome of the election may well depend on turnout. A newly formed coalition called is ratcheting up its organizing in a critical get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort, which includes on-the-ground canvassing, door-to-door outreach, targeted phone banking, and text message voter outreach, as well as in-person gatherings.聽

Alexsis Rodgers, political director of and , which are part of the Black Power Voters Alliance, spoke with 大象传媒 Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the GOTV efforts.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 大象传媒 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.