‘The Voter Suppression Trail’ Shows The Racial Disparity In The U.S. Election Process

A recent study published in The New York Times revealed a massive disparity in voting access between whites and minorities in the U.S. In minority neighborhoods, voting lines are about twice as long as those in majority-white areas. In addition, minority voters are six times more likely than whites to stand in line for more than an hour to vote. This disparity is no accident. Recently, Republican lawmakers have closed polling places and implemented strict ID laws designed at repressing minority turnout.

To call attention the disparity in election access, The New York Times created a video game called “The Voter Suppression Trail.” It’s a parody of the classic “Oregon Trail” computer game popular in elementary schools in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The object in this new eight-bit online game is to try and cast a vote as one of three characters: a white programmer from California, Latina Nurse from Texas or an African-American salesman from Wisconsin.

Spoiler alert: If you choose the white voter in California, voting is pretty darn easy. Low wait times and easy access to polls have you in an out of a voting booth in a jiffy. But if you choose to play as one of the two minority voters you have to endure long lines, a poorly-trained election staff, and angry calls from the boss urging you to get out of line. Can you fight your way to the voting booth or will your vote die a premature death?

Play “The Voter Suppression Trail”