Whether it’s a lack of trust in the U.S. political system or simply not liking the candidates, Detroit has always struggled with low voter turnout in regional and presidential elections. According to a July 2024 report from University of Michigan, about 12% of Detroiters who are eligible to vote reported they were unlikely to cast a vote in this November’s election. In June, Detroit elections administrator Daniel Baxter told Outlier Media that of Detroit’s 513,000 registered voters, about 127,000 are inactive.
To combat this, community leaders, hip-hop artists, content creators, and national media personalities will come together for Mobilize Justice’s ““Vote or Else” event on Tuesday, Sept. 17, which is also Voter Registration Day. Hosted at Detroit’s Huntington Place convention center, Vote or Else is a full day of programming aimed at increasing voter registration and turnout and is held in partnership with the office of Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Entertainment Commission.
The event will feature a town hall forum at 5 p.m., followed by a debate at 8:30 p.m. with actor Hill Harper, activists Tamika Mallory, Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, Black Thought of The Roots, Pusha T and more. That will be followed by surprise musical performances starting at 9:30 p.m.
An EP music project produced by Helluva, Havoc from Mobb Deep, Chris Store, Playa Haze, Plu20 Nash, and others is set to include contributions from Beanie Sigel, Symba, Freeway, Jadakiss, Miles Minnick, Jay Electronica, Benny the Butcher, Black Thought, Styles P, Icewear Vezzo, Rick Williams, Westside Boogie, Bun B, Baby Money, and more.
The day’s programming will also include a voter mobilization project in Detroit in the morning as well as a visit to Wayne State University.
“Vote or Else is a campaign that truly represents where we are as a country; it’s a call to action for our communities to unite against hate and disinformation by exercising the rights our elders fought for,” says organizer and pastor Mike McBride. “As we gather in Detroit, we’re bringing together faith leaders, musicians, cultural influencers, designers, activists, and activists dedicated to civic engagement ahead of the 2024 elections. We know our future hangs in the balance, and we must vote because our lives depend on it.”
Overall, the hip-hop community has been engaged in this year’s presidential election. New York rapper Cardi B and Atlanta native Quavo had publicly endorsed Kamala Harris, while rappers Sada Baby, Peezy, and Icewear Vezzo have expressed support for Donald Trump.
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement reported in 2021 that only 43% of Black voters between 18-29 voted in the 2020 presidential election. This is one of the main demographics Vote or Else is seeking to encourage.
The campaign has garnered the kind of presence from the hip-hop community that hasn’t been seen since 2004’s “Vote or Die” campaign, when you had hip-hop artists like Eve and LL Cool J encouraging America’s youth to vote by doing commercial spots on issues like gun control.
More information is available at blackchurchpac.org/orelse.