Tom Morello Affirms Voting Participation, Rejects Corporate Democrats

Last weekend, former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello held his star-studded one-day Power To The People festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The event was framed as a left-wing political gathering, and Morello joined Bruce Springsteen for a set of protest songs. Prior to the show, Morello gave a Rolling Stone interview and went viral for stating he “certainly did not” vote for Kamala Harris.

In a clip from the interview, Morello explained, “There is a righteous fury at the corporate-controlled, money-controlled electoral system we have that is absolutely illegitimate. And people cannot choke down voting for a candidate — I understand it — cannot choke down voting for a candidate that’s responsible for what happened in Gaza. They can’t do it.” Morello identified with this sentiment, saying, “I just couldn’t do it,” and noted he cannot remember the last time he voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. He also mentioned living in California, “a state where it may not have moved the meter.”

While many voters share the frustration of choosing between major party candidates, Morello’s comments ignited debate over the obligations of left-wing voters to the Democratic Party.

Some interpreted Morello’s initial remarks as an admission that he abstains from voting entirely. Morello subsequently issued a correction on Monday, sharing a video message in which he confirmed that he votes in every election and that the festival raised funds for voter-registration efforts. He also noted that, as a Californian, he has the “luxury” of “voting my conscience for president for third-party candidates that better align with my ideas of justice and equality.” In the message, he stated:

“Some people seem confused, but I always vote in every local and national election for every office and ballot initiative since I was 18,” Morello stated. “My greatest civil rights heroes fought and died so we could vote, and I honor their memory at the ballot box every time. To some of us, especially those of us who have worked within the system, it often feels like a morally reprehensible choice between compromised corporate Democrats and fascist-minded Republicans. In California, I have the luxury of voting my conscience for third-party candidates who better align with my principles of justice and equality. But in every contested race, as my mom Mary Morello always said, we must fight the fascists every which way we can, recognizing that even a small difference between candidates can greatly harm vulnerable people. Exercise your right to vote, but also fight, organize, and struggle for the world you want to see, without compromise or apologies, before, during, and after election day. Let’s stop the fascists every which way we can. Power to the people.”

Morello has never claimed allegiance to the Democratic Party; Rage Against the Machine previously played protests at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 2008.

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