MIAMI - OCTOBER 21: Hispanic voters go to the polls for early voting at the Miami-Dade Government ... [+]
With the re-election of Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia this week, the 2022 midterm cycle is finally at an end, and it contained some welcome surprises for everyone.
The 2022 midterm results reminded us that our democracy is much healthier and more resilient than many had feared. In red and blue states alike, voters made it abundantly clear that fundamental values like democracy, diversity and civil rights are important to them and that our future prosperity rests on becoming a fairer country for all.
When it comes to parsing the midterm results, I won’t analyze the red and blue waves because people will differ on what they want to see – that’s democracy! But I want to note some of the interesting lessons for business leaders that voters imparted to us about the direction they want to see America go.
It’s not always the economy, stupid. For decades, we’ve heard that people consistently vote with their pocketbooks, so everyone believed concerns about inflation and high living costs would decide this election. But both exit polls and election returns show voters in both parties had other issues on their minds – namely, the erosion of democratic norms and bodily autonomy. One poll found more than half of Democrats and around a third of Republicans identified the future of democracy as the “single most important” factor for their vote. And across the board, in states as blue as California, purple as Michigan and traditionally red as Kentucky and Montana, voters also opted to vote pro-choice. This illustrates the relatively broad consensus on abortion despite the heat surrounding the subject. Unsurprisingly, many voters don’t believe that politicians should be making decisions that belong to women.
Democracy mattered. In every potential swing state where a candidate for Secretary of State denied the results of the 2020 election, that candidate lost. This is particularly important because the Secretaries of State set and manage the rules for elections in 2024 and beyond. If these races had turned out differently, there would have been an open question if we would see a free and fair election two years from now. Swing state gubernatorial and attorney general candidates who questioned the 2020 results also usually came up short – meaning they cannot bend the rules in anyone’s favor two years from now.
Concessions stand. With the notable exception of Kari Lake in Arizona, almost all the candidates who refused to recognize the 2020 results and lost this November still conceded to the winner as usual. This may seem small, but after the 2020 debacle and the J6 riots, it looked like that norm was disappearing, and many losers would try to contest the results. For now, we’re back to accepting the votes people cast, which is excellent news. Since 1800, when John Adams and the Federalists begrudgingly stepped aside for Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans, the peaceful transfer of power has been critical to our functioning democracy. Without it, every transition has the potential to result in violence, as we saw at the Capitol in January 2021.
The kids are alright. They may not talk to pollsters, but younger voters decided this midterm. Voters under 30 showed up at the second-highest midterm rate in 30 years – only 2018 saw more turnout – and were the deciding factor in dozens of races. Women under 25 were also the deciding demographic in this summer’s contest over abortion rights in Kansas. It seems increasingly clear that the stereotype of young people as non-voters should be mothballed. As a part of the most diverse generation in American history, young people showed in numbers (again) that demonstrate they care deeply about the future of this country, preserving democracy and moving towards a future where everyone has a chance to succeed.
America has grown more diverse. These midterms also reinforced that many voters embrace America’s diverse future. Most candidates in swing states who ran on virulent anti-diversity, anti-transgender, or anti-immigrant rhetoric lost. Meanwhile, the halls of power became more open too. America elected a record 12 women governors, blowing past the old record of nine. Alabama elected its first woman Senator, and Vermont lost its dubious distinction of being the only state never to elect a woman to Congress. Maryland elected only the third Black governor in U.S. history. And soon after that, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of N.Y. became the first-ever nonwhite party leader in Congressional history. LGBTQ+ candidates also made history, including two openly lesbian leaders elected as Governors of Massachusetts and Oregon.
The threat to democracy isn’t over. Several attempts at voter suppression were enacted before Election Day. Some have discussed passing even more restrictions before the next election, including raising the voting age to 21. In Georgia, an attempt to stop Saturday voting in the December runoff had to be brushed back by the courts. And according to the Brennan Center, 18 states passed 34 new restrictive voting laws between January 2021 and May 2022.
Issues related to election integrity and jurisprudence are also at stake in the Moore v. Harper case, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. This case involves the widely rejected fringe theory that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures unique power over elections and that election policy adopted by state legislatures cannot be overruled by any other state authority, including state courts. Adopting the theory would provide a framework for political interference in electoral procedures and outcomes if sanctioned. While the theory was greeted with some welcomed skepticism during oral argument, it remains to be seen how the Court will rule on this case.
Restricting the vote isn’t just undemocratic – it’s a recipe for disaster. By hampering voters’ ability to help America self-correct when it needs to, it hurts our progress, causes more division and weakens our global standing from both a business and leadership perspective. So, despite these surprising midterm results, business leaders can’t just declare “Mission Accomplished” now that the imminent threat to democracy may have temporarily receded. Those in power must continue to fight for a more equitable and democratic nation by holding political leaders accountable, standing up for minorities and marginalized voices when they’re attacked, and declaring their unequivocal support for fundamental democratic values like the right to vote.
This Election Day may have shocked the pundits, but it also reminded us of exactly why democracy is resilient in the first place. A large majority of the American people decisively rejected attempts to divide and diminish us. They want a better future for everyone, and when exercising their vote, they advocate for democracy, diversity and fundamental rights.
