Trump Voters’ Moral Responsibility for Policy Consequences
Nearly 73 million Americans voted for Donald Trump despite his well-documented racism, misogyny, and endorsement of white supremacy. While a single vote’s impact on an election outcome is minimal, voting constitutes a moral communication of values and acceptable policies. Therefore, all Trump voters, regardless of their specific motivations, bear some responsibility for the potential harms stemming from his policies, as their vote implicitly endorsed those policies and the resulting harm to vulnerable groups. This responsibility stems not solely from the causal impact of the vote, but from the moral implications of participating in a collective action with potentially harmful consequences. The level of responsibility may vary depending on individual motivations, but complicity exists nonetheless.
John Q. Hosedrinker