2024 is the new 1972: Voting

Three problems that are repeating themselves this election

The 1972 Presidential Election was a pivotal moment in American political history. Today, the Nixon v. McGovern race is used as an example of resounding defeat for Democrats. But it was so much more than that and, by the time it was all said and done, only one man had to resign his office.

‘24 is the new ‘72 and Democrats must stay laser focused on one narrative: Fifty Years Later and Here We Are Again.

In a nutshell, begging people to vote, inspiring them to vote, and getting them to actually vote is expensive and it is frequently use it to drain campaign resources.

‘72 Voter Turnout

President Richard Nixon and staffers assigned to the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) ran a highly organized and well-funded campaign that targeted key demographics and utilized the latest media technologies to reach voters. Meanwhile, Democrats were burning up valuable resources in an unwieldily primary.

By the time voters started paying attention, Nixon had a lock on older voters. That left McGovern to chase after the much less reliable and much more expensive younger voter. Nixon’s successful push to reduce the voting age to eighteen added twenty-five million potential voters. Nixon didn’t need them to win. McGovern did.

For a minute it looked promising for McGovern. So Nixon ordered a registration bottleneck.

“In studying the New York Times release of the Gallup Poll on youth one lesson comes through loud and clear — it is imperative that we limit our registration wherever possible, without announcing that that is our tactic, to the non-college youth.”

Richard Nixon

“If there’s a lesson from the presidential election 50 years ago, it’s that no demographic’s vote can be taken for granted — especially not people who are new to voting.” In the end, McGovern was spending too much money on convincing young voters to register to vote and not enough money on getting them to vote for him.

Younger voters ushered in a new era for the House and Senate with their votes, they gave us a 29-year-old Democrat called Joe Biden, and they increased the Democratic majority in the Senate by two. Still, half of first-time voters voted for Nixon and some portion of young voters from North Carolina decided electing Jesse Helms to the US Senate was a good idea.

Grassroots Organizing

Grassroots organizing involves building support and momentum from the ground up, engaging with voters at the local level, and empowering individuals to take action in support of a candidate or cause. In 1972, grassroots efforts were particularly important in reaching out to traditionally marginalized communities, such as women, minorities, and young people. The Boomers were increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with in national politics.

The McGovern campaign believed in the fundamentals of grassroots organizing so much that Senator McGovern named his campaign memoir Grassroots. The campaign was aggressive about door-to-door canvassing, phone banking and rallies. McGovernites worked tirelessly to spread the message, address voter concerns, and inspire voters to vote. This direct, face-to-face approach was highly effective in building trust and rapport with voters, and in many cases, convincing undecided individuals to support a particular candidate. It is also very expensive.

In addition to traditional grassroots tactics, the 1972 election also saw the emergence of new technology-assisted organizing strategies. It was the year of the world first met Magnavox Odyssey, Atari, the Compact Disc, and the ATM.

Looking back, it is clear that 1972 was when grassroots organizing met the power of technology and changed campaigning forever.

Voter Suppression

Voter suppression has a devilish grip on American democracy. That was true in 1865, 1972, and it will be true again in 2024. Nixon used various tactics to disenfranchise certain groups of voters and sway the outcome of the election. From voter intimidation to restrictive voting laws, efforts to suppress the voices of certain demographics were prevalent in 1972.

One of the most common forms of voter suppression in the 1972 election was the use of voter ID laws and literacy tests. These tactics were often used to make it more difficult for young voters, rural voters, and low resource voters. By narrowing the universe of voters, campaigns afford to saturate reliable voters with their message. In other words, spend more time inspiring people to vote rather than inspiring them to register to vote.

Another form of voter suppression in the 1972 election was the manipulation of polling locations and hours. By strategically placing polling stations in hard-to-reach locations or limiting the hours of operation, certain groups of voters were disadvantaged and unable to vote. This tactic was particularly prevalent in areas with high minority populations, where long lines and limited access to polling places were common.

Additionally, voter suppression efforts in the 1972 election included the purging of voter rolls and the dissemination of misinformation. Removing voters from registration lists without cause or spreading false information about voting procedures leaves potential voters confused and frustrated.

Third Party Candidates

In the 1972 presidential election, third party candidates played a significant role in influencing the outcome of the race. John Schmitz of the American Independent Party and Linda Jenness of the Socialist Workers Party pulled attention and votes from both Nixon and McGovern.

John Schmitz ran on a platform of conservative values and anti-communism, appealing to voters who felt that the Republican candidate, Richard Nixon, was not conservative enough. Linda Jenness focused on issues such as workers' rights and income inequality. Neither candidate drew enough voters to impact the outcome of 1972 but third-party candidates can drive the cost of races way up.

They can also force the major party candidates to veer too far out of the middle. For example, the candidacy of John Schmitz pushed Nixon to emphasize his conservative credentials and appeal to right-wing voters who may have been tempted to vote for the American Independent Party candidate. Similarly, the candidacy of Linda Jenness put pressure on the Democratic candidate, George McGovern, to address issues of social justice and economic inequality in a more forceful manner.