Sixty-one years ago this month, Alabama state troopers attacked civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. On March 7, 1965, the world looked on in horror as activists were bloodied because they were marching for voting rights. That singular event helped secure passage of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. Will our current moment — with threats to democracy — inspire people to vote? I hope so.
The right to vote must not be taken for granted. Voting is the language of democracy. The process allows citizens to choose what type of representation they desire. Civic engagement contributes to the health and economic well-being of communities.
Democracy requires participation from all of us. As we prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, we do so with a backdrop of the least civically minded young Americans. More than 20% of eighth graders were considered proficient in civics and 14% in U.S. history when the National Assessment of Educational Progress last tested on the subjects in 2022.
I believe civics and history should be required as part of the curriculum in every grade through high school. Illinois requires some civics classes in elementary and high school, but that is not enough.
I grew up in the Jim Crow South, and we were not allowed to vote. When I arrived in Chicago, I did not really pay attention because I did not appreciate the value of voting. I was working and trying to make a living. But if I had been exposed to the importance of voting in school, it would have made a difference.
The Illinois primary election is March 17. The 2024 primary saw Chicago reach a new low — just 25.9% of the nearly 1.7 million registered voters cast a ballot. Every time I vote, it honors the legacy of those who died and who were beaten for us to have the right to vote. Black men were not able to vote until 1869 and women until 1920, with passage of the 15th and 19th Amendments.
The Voting Rights Act is under attack by Congress, executive orders and state legislatures. On Election Day, poor people become equal with wealthy people because of the one vote, one person rule.
Please do not sit this election out. Your vote may decide who wins. I realize you may be discouraged and angry because politicians make promises and things do not get better.
Year after year, the costs of health care and groceries rise. Communities are scarred by violence, and our schools fail to prepare our kids for employment and success. If you don’t vote, it is a vote for the status quo. There are a lot of important offices on the ballot. Health care, public safety, real estate taxes, education, economic development and pensions are on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot.
Across Chicago, televisions and mailboxes are being flooded with ads paid for by dark-money political action committees.
I am deeply troubled by the influence of PACs and dark money on our elections. They do not represent the concerns of the citizens of Illinois nor do they exist to advocate for and advance the interests of our neighbors. The people of Illinois should choose our representatives in Congress and the General Assembly, not outside actors.
Dark money significantly weakens democracy. It allows wealthy individuals and groups to influence the outcome of elections without transparency. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010 that reversed campaign finance restrictions, billions have been spent to influence elections. Once elected, politicians owe those groups that spent money to influence people to vote for them. The policies they introduce or stymie are guided by these special interests and by unions. Ordinary citizens are ignored while the wealthy, the well-connected and special interests are prioritized.
This corrupt system is not what people on the Edmund Pettus Bridge envisioned. The current system discourages participation in democracy. The people rightly sense the game is rigged to benefit a handful of wealthy families.
The following are some suggestions to strengthen our democracy:
• Congress should pass campaign finance reform to overturn Citizens United and curb the influence of money in politics as well as prohibit donations from labor unions.
• Gov. JB Pritzker and the state legislature should allow independent redistricting commissions to end gerrymandering. Politicians should not be drawing their own maps.
• Congress should pass legislation to end mid-decade redistricting.
• Pritzker should require civics and history requirements in every grade throughout elementary and high school.
• Congress should pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to strengthen and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• Faith leaders should encourage their congregants to vote.
Just as a tree needs roots to survive, a people need to understand their history to thrive. If Americans do not understand the importance of democracy, we run the risk of being another authoritarian country.
The Constitution begins with “We the people,” the guiding star for democracy. This election is now in your hands — I hope you will vote. French writer and philosopher Joseph de Maistre had a point: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.”
I write this commentary to make those comfortable with eroding democracy uncomfortable.
Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
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