Black votes matter more and more

This guy loves his data. I find his enthusiasm contagious.

Yet we have to remember that political power is about so much more than presidential contests every four years. People getting together and learning in their bones that a combination of agitation and organized participation (all that politics stuff) is what dredges out wins for communities.

Jenna Johnson offers a smart profile of the work that Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) are doing on the ground in Milwaukee. They are focused in Black neighborhoods where turnout was down in 2016. A Republican state government had put a lot of obstacles in the way of poor, Black, and brown urban citizens. But it doesn't have to be that way. Here's the key:

Increasing voter turnout requires helping people believe that their votes will make a difference and that it does matter who gets elected.

When everybody votes, people-oriented policies become more possible -- locally and nationally -- and hope wins.