Think you can skip voting this year? A Haitian American civics expert has some words for you…and more.

NEW YORK – So you don’t want to vote in this year’s presidential elections because of “what the Clintons did in Haiti?” Maybe you don’t want to vote because your state is all red. Or it’s all blue. 

By and large, Haitian Americans who are eligible to vote do so. But quite a few have said they do not vote, for an array of reasons. Both camps illustrate the love-hate relationship we have with politics and the electoral process as a community. It’s a fraught relationship with roots in Haiti’s failures at democratic rule, personal trauma from civic participation, general apathy not uncommon in America today and more.

For those who question the value of participating in elections, meet Kathleen Daniel, New York City’s chief democracy officer and program director for DemocracyNYC. In this series of videos created as part of The Haitian Times elections project, Daniel addresses common misconceptions some Haitian Americans have expressed about voting and not voting in the upcoming presidential elections. She also sheds light on certain myths and disinformation that cause some in our community to abstain from voting. 

Here’s what Daniel has to say to these common questions, which you can read more about in the Haitian American 2024 Voter Guide.

First up, is why every vote matters. Daniel explains in English and Creole how not voting leaves Haitian Americans open to abuse.

I registered before. Why do I need to do it again?

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