Showing Up Is Job #1 for Democrats

By John Sloan, Interim Chair Baldwin County Democrats

Last Tuesday night, I sat in the Baldwin County elections headquarters in Bay Minette and watched the returns come in from the primary runoff. 

I wish I could say I felt encouraged. 

Across 63 precincts, only 1,202 Democratic ballots were cast in the U.S. Senate runoff. Let that sit for a moment: in a county with more than 210,000 registered voters, the Democrats who showed up to help choose our party’s Senate nominee would not fill many high school auditoriums.

I will be blunt: I was embarrassed.

Not by the voters who showed up. They did their part. I am grateful for every one of them.

I was embarrassed because too many of us did not.

We talk about democracy, rights, authoritarianism, voter suppression, gerrymandering, extremism, and the dismantling of institutions we once assumed were secure.

Then, when given a simple task—show up and vote—we stay home.

That may sound harsh. 

It is meant to.

Because we cannot ask candidates to run, volunteers to knock doors, donors to give, poll workers to staff elections, and officials to protect the process if voters do not do the one thing democracy requires.

SHOW UP AND VOTE.

Voting is not all of democracy. It is not a magic wand. But it is the floor—the basic act that gives every other form of political work its meaning.

When we do not vote, we are not making a statement. We are surrendering space.

And in Alabama, surrendered space does not stay empty. It is quickly filled by Republicans who are organized, energized, disciplined, well-funded, and clear about the future they want.

Some who didn’t vote will say, “It was only a runoff.” 

That is exactly the problem. 

There is no such thing as “only” a runoff when the office is the United States Senate. There is no election that does not matter when reproductive freedom, voting rights, public education, health care, Social Security, Medicare, the rule of law, and constitutional democracy are on the line.

Others will say they did not know enough about the candidates. That is fair—but only to a point. Information was available through the BCD website, the Alabama State Party, the Alabama Political Reporter, and social media. Lack of knowledge is not an excuse; it is a reminder of our responsibility. If we want better candidates and stronger campaigns, we must pay attention earlier, build stronger county parties, and connect statewide races to people’s lives. But none of that relieves us of the obligation to vote.

The hard truth is this: Republicans do not need Democrats to become Republicans. They only need Democrats to “sit this one out” and stay home.

Last Tuesday, too many Democrats did exactly that.

But this is fixable. The numbers show where the opportunity lies.

At Boykin Center, Democratic primary voters outnumbered Republican primary voters 172 to 19. At Tensaw VFD, Democrats led 43 to 31.

Those are not fantasy precincts. Those are places Democrats can win when Democrats vote. 

And even in larger, tougher precincts such as Daphne Civic Center, Eastern Shore Baptist, and First Fairhope Baptist, there are hundreds of Democratic voters already visible in the data. 

The question is not whether Democrats exist in Baldwin County. We do. 

The question is whether we will show up.

The same numbers that embarrassed me also clarified the work ahead. Baldwin County Democrats are outnumbered and operating in difficult terrain, but we are not helpless. We have precincts with meaningful Democratic numbers, communities where turnout can grow, legislative districts where organization matters, statewide races where every vote helps, and candidates willing to stand up where Democrats have too often been told to sit down.

What we lack is not potential. What we lack is turnout discipline.

That has to change now.

If you are reading this, make a simple commitment: do not sit out any election. Not primaries, runoffs, school board races, municipal races, special elections, or elections where you are tired, busy, discouraged, uninspired, or convinced the outcome is already decided.

Especially not those elections.

Remember: authoritarian politics thrives on exhaustion. 

It depends on people deciding participation is pointless. It wants citizens to become spectators and believe the system is too rigged, corrupt, complicated, or far gone to be worth their time. When we accept that logic, we do part of the opposition’s work for them.

I understand discouragement, anger, and wondering whether one vote matters in a deeply red county in a deeply red state. But politics is built by habits, networks, neighbors reminding neighbors, people voting every time, and then bringing someone else with them.

That is how a party becomes visible. That is how candidates become viable. That is how margins shrink. That is how “impossible” races become competitive. That is how people who have been ignored begin to count.

We should not pretend Baldwin County will turn blue overnight. It will not. But the choice is not immediate victory or permanent defeat. We can increase turnout, reduce Republican margins, help statewide candidates, support strong local campaigns, build precinct capacity, and make Republicans spend time and money where they would rather coast.

But none of that happens if Democrats do not vote.

So yes, I am chiding us this week—and myself too. As Chair, I must help build a stronger culture of participation. We need better communication, reminders, voter contact, and organizing. We need people to know when, where, why, and for whom they are voting. That work belongs to the party.

But the ballot belongs to you.

The next time an election comes around, do not wait to be inspired, for the perfect candidate, or for someone to convince you that democracy is worth fifteen minutes.

Show up because rights are on the ballot.

Show up because silence is counted too.

Show up because the other side is counting on you not to.

Show up because Baldwin County Democrats are better than 1,202 votes.

And then bring someone with you.