Yesterday, Thursday (Oct. 8), was Election Day in Memphis. Residents had the opportunity to vote on a new mayor and members of the City Council among other positions. [DISCLAIMER: I never reveal who received my vote.]

It’s the day after. Has anyone taken their Morning After Pill yet? Anyone trying to prevent some disaster after your candidate lost their bid? With so many Monday Morning Quarterbacks on this Friday I had to double check my calendar to make sure I hadn’t slept through the entire weekend.

Like it or not, we reside in a democratic country. Aside from major voter controversies (i.e. Bush vs. Gore), candidates who won did so fair and square. The day after an election is not the time to throw tomatoes at the ones who were victorious or to throw them under the bus when they haven’t even technically stepped foot onto it. If your candidate did not win, you must accept defeat and move forward.

This blog post, however, is not about being politically correct in statements on social media and all the trash talking I have seen in the last 12 hours. This post is about the absolutely embarrassing and disgusting number of individuals who did not even cast a vote at all.

Sure, we could point fingers. Hell, I could look in the mirror and blame myself. Admittedly, I didn’t do anything in this election cycle to encourage people to register to vote or to actually go to the polls. You could say I’m part of the problem. I accept that and know what I need to do the next time.

With all that being said, let me address those who plan to run for office in the future. Whether you voted for President Barack Obama or not, do you know WHY he won the last two elections? Yes I know it was a presidential election. And yes I know it was historical because he is an African-American man. He won the elections because he had an unprecedented ground game and strategy. He had folks in his camp walking door to door not just in neighborhoods they were comfortable being in, but they went to communities with individuals who are often forgotten until election time and lit a fire in the younger generations who so heavily rely on social media.

Let’s take a moment to look at the demographics of Memphis, Tennessee. According to the last census (2014), we have a population estimate of 656,861 of which 63.3% is African-American. According to the Urban Dictionary (credible source, right?!? ha!), those in the millennial generation were born between 1982 and 1994. Other (probably more credible sources) have a larger gap claiming these individuals were born between 1980 and 2000. My point? I have one. I’m getting there!

In Memphis, here is a breakdown of the number of people who fit that millennial generation description via the latest statistics (keep in mind many of these could be college students who may vote in their home state during election time…..I know I did):

                18-19 year olds:                9,131

                20 year olds:                       4,668

                21 year olds:                       4,530

                22-24 year olds:                14,573

                25-29 year olds:                24,394

                30-34 year olds:                21,236

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                TOTAL:                                  78,532 (of course this is just an estimate)

As I stated on someone else’s Facebook status, we need to find out if the individuals above are voting and if not….why not. We need to go to the barbershops, beauty salons, neighborhood basketball courts, nightclubs, public meetings, etc. Imagine if every single millennial voted yesterday in addition to the other generations. We would not have seen such a piss poor turnout. The numbers have not been verified yet (at least I don’t think), but it appears roughly 100,000 votes were cast in yesterday’s election. 100,000? Of 656,000???? Come on Memphis. We HAVE to do better.

Like it or not, we will have a new mayor in office beginning in 2016, and yes he is white which hasn’t happened in a couple decades. Keep in mind, he did technically receive the greatest number of votes in a landslide (shoutout to my Facebook friend Emily Yellin for her AWESOME status last night about landslides! LOL!). In all seriousness though, hold him accountable. He will work for the residents of Memphis. He will be my mayor, your mayor…..OUR mayor.

And that ladies and gentlemen is democracy for you.

As always….these are just a few thoughts “From My Hart.”