MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend Gets Candid About Voting This Year

“Politics are happening around us every single day, whether we participate or not. It is political to be able to go to a doctor when you need to and get the care you need at an affordable price. It is political to have a good school in your neighborhood. It may not be partisan, but it is, in fact, politics,” MSNBC The Weekend co-host Symone Sanders-Townsend tells EBONY when asked to share her thoughts on the whole “I’m not into politics” conversations that many have. On Tuesday, April 2, more Americans will go to the polls to select their candidates for America’s highest offices, so political conversations are warranted.

Since she was a young girl, the Nebraska native has been interested in the political world and how issues are communicated to us as citizens. Starting out as a member of her local Girls, Inc. chapter, Sanders-Townsend worked to become a political strategist for Bernie Sanders’ campaign in 2020 and then for the White House. It was the understanding that the people behind the candidates are often the most powerful, which she ultimately wanted to become. So, she did. 

Now, she’s bringing us hard-hitting—and sometimes hard-to-understand—issues with her MSNBC show. Part of a trio alongside Alicia Mendendez and Michael Steele, the series delves deeper into the topics and headlines of the week while making them more accessible for the everyday person to understand.

Like 2008, when America elected Barack Obama, its first Black president, the year 2024 will be one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. This year, the world is facing a number of pivotal issues: world wars are happening, women’s reproductive health rights are being stripped away, and so much more. 

EBONY sat down with Sanders-Townsend, where she broke down some of the key topics to look for during the upcoming elections, the impact Black voters will have and how we can be better informed about various candidates’ views and stances. 

EBONY: Your MSNBC show, The Weekend, is receiving great reviews thus far. How does it feel to be a part of such a dynamic cast and bring this fresh perspective to tough topics?

Symone Sanders-Townsend: What I enjoy about this show is the conversation. We’re helping set the tone for the conversations about the most consequential things happening in our country: the world, legal, and politics. We cover it all. We are three hosts with three different perspectives and life experiences, and we bring that to the table. We may not always agree, but we’re a place where you can dig deeper into issues from the week prior and look ahead to a new week.

How do you think the current campaigns are going as far as the issues they’re presenting to the American people? 

The year 2024 is very different. There’s this notion that Black voters don’t care about the economy, but that’s not true. If you look at the recent polling, Black voters very much care about the economy and that is at issue. The suburbs of places like Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Charlotte and Phoenix are going to determine this election. Black people live in those suburbs and Black women are leading the majority of households. 

Reproductive health for women—Black women especially— is going to be crucial. Also, how these campaigns decide to talk about democracy will make a difference. These are things that will resonate. This will be a turnout election and the margins are going to matter. Every member of the House of Representatives is up for re-election, and control of the Senate is on the line. All of this is happening while a candidate is actively in court nearly every day. This is truly unprecedented. 

There’s always been this notion in our communities that our vote doesn’t count, so we choose not to go to the polls. Could you break down the impact and consequences of us choosing not to vote?

I’m not shocked when people say that their vote won’t count. But your participation does change things. When people say they don’t like politics, what they’re really saying is they don’t like partisanship in the name of siding with Democrats or Republicans. 

I think about the Tyree Nichols case. The year before he was brutally beaten and killed, there was a race for district attorney in Memphis. The local and national NAACP banded together to get voters to the poll, and they were able to elect the current district attorney, who ultimately charged those officers who were responsible for Nichols’ death. That was all about elections. It is the people who you elect, whether at the local or national level. Those elections matter and will affect us, whether we participate or not.

Many voters just don’t understand the issues at hand and even some of the wording being presented. Where can we become better informed and break down key issues, especially as Black voters?

Of course, you can tune in to The Weekend. We’re breaking it down and making it more accessible. You can get our newsletter as well. But there’s also this great group called The League of Women Voters, and they go to great lengths to put together election guides that break down every candidate and where they stand on the issues. They make it very easy. Don’t be afraid to Google and look things up or even ask questions. You should diversify where you get your news and do research for yourself because you are ultimately the person who has to check a box in the end.

You’ll soon be attending the White House Correspondent’s dinner. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s dinner, and can you give insight of what happens at the event?

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a fundraiser for the White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship program. The association, which is made up of all the correspondents who cover the White House Beat, puts on the dinner. Eugene Daniels of POLITICO will be our incoming president and the association’s first Black president. So, he will step into history at the end of the dinner. But we come together in support of journalists and the free press. We also take time to honor journalists who have lost their lives or freedom in the name of informing people of the news around the world. We essentially raise a glass to and celebrate the work of the reporters and journalists who hold power to account—the Fourth Estate. 

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