After Ferguson witnessed one of the highest voter turnouts in its history, residents of this town are now hopeful of changes in governance policies. For the first time, this Missouri neighborhood has witnessed the election of three African American officials to its city council. Previously, Ferguson’s city council consisted of five white members and one black member (Deere 1). These numbers do not reflect the city’s demographics that include sixty-seven percent of African American residents. Consequently, half of Ferguson’s representation will be made up of African Americans, a significant increase from its previous twenty percent representation. Observers are keen to note how alteration in racial representation will influence Ferguson’s policies at the governance level. This paper uses these latest developments in Ferguson to investigate how alterations in the racial makeup of an elected body can change policies at the governance level, and whether the impacts of such alterations are overstated.
To understand the alterations in racial makeup that occurred in Ferguson, one has to consider the factors that triggered these changes. In March, a white police officer shot Michael Brown to death and this development triggered citywide protests in Ferguson for the most part of 2014. This development helped activists to shed the spotlight on the misrepresentation that characterized Ferguson’s elected bodies, police department, and other public organs. The election of two new African American officials is a reaction to the racial imbalance that came to the fore after the shooting of Michael Brown. Previously, the City of Ferguson only recorded voter turnouts of approximately twelve percent, but this year that number rose to thirty-one percent. Policy change has been a great contributor to the increased voter turnout. Some of the voters reckoned the need for change as early as last year. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the need for change is the main ingredient in Ferguson’s alteration of racial makeup.
The changes in the racial makeup of an elected body can have far-reaching effects on the city’s governance. However, the impacts of racial makeup on policies are often undermined or overstated. The first new official in Ferguson’s city council is Ella Jones, a former pastor who has contested for the position of city council member in the past. Jones was actively involved in human rights issues even before the Michael Brown shooting. The electorate is hoping that Miss Jones will be instrumental in effecting new changes to the city’s handling of human rights issues. The situation of the other newly elected African-American council member is a bit different from that of Miss Jones. Brian Fletcher is a former mayor and he is considered as an incumbent by most voters. Fletcher’s affiliation to policy change is not clear because his opposition was mostly formed by individuals who were actively calling for a policy overhaul. Consequently, the former mayor is not under pressure to effect policy changes on behalf of his voters. Fletcher ran under a simple platform of ‘I love Ferguson’ campaign that called for the preservation of the city. Fletcher’s governance is not likely to be characterized by any significant policy changes.
The impacts of alterations in the racial makeup of an elected body are mostly overstated. Racial makeup is often a reaction to the electorate’s views about representation and a careful consideration of the policies and integrity of individual candidates (Wilson 86). A similar pattern was witnessed during the election of President Obama. In American politics, candidate’s agendas often determine policy change as opposed to the racial makeup of elected bodies.
Works Cited
Deere, Stephen. “With Increased Turnout, Ferguson Voters Elect 3 Black Councilmembers.” Tribune News. Tribune News Service, Web.
Wilson, Kalpana. Race, racism and development: interrogating history, discourse and practice. London: Zed Books, 2012. Print.