Three More Weeks. Ready to Vote? It’s Important.

This is how important I think the midterm elections are: Because I was living in a congressional district that will be a close race, I seriously considered living another year in a physically, socially, and financially unsuitable location so I could cast my vote in that key district.

This is how strongly I care about what is happening in this country. This is how convinced I am that every vote counts. This is how sincerely I wish I could encourage you to take the elections seriously. Elections that are just three weeks away.

I only wish I could reach more millennials and encourage them to vote.

Pew Research Center tells us that millennial engagement in elections remains problematic, particularly midterms. So what can I do about that other than conversing with my own twentysomething sons and when possible their friends?

Fanning the Flames Shouldn’t Be Business as Usual

I find myself engaging in moments of quasi-political discussion with all sorts of people I encounter, anywhere and everywhere, and doing so in as calm and measured a manner as I can. I admit that isn’t always easy.

I realize that many of you – many of us – are sick of politics seeping into every activity and get-together. Perhaps it isn’t politics we are sick of so much as the constant sniping and fingerpointing we can’t seem to escape in the media, along with the tribalism that is so easily triggered in so many aspects of daily life. Who hasn’t had arguments in the workplace, arguments on social media, and even arguments in online dating sites? How many of us have had a casual conversation with an acquaintance that turns ugly or a discussion devolving at the dinner table with an adult child, a parent, or even a spouse? How many of us find ourselves disagreeing on the latest contentious news story with a BFF, or distancing ourselves from a BFF over politics?

As I see it, part of the problem is this: It is increasingly rare that we deal in facts and orient ourselves towards solutions. Instead, we are caught up in the latest daily drama, which isn’t to say that it isn’t important. And we are inundated by information filtered through the proverbial partisan lens, parroting party positions — often pulled from red or blue headlines.

And yes, exacerbated by the president’s rhetoric, which is not to say it isn’t exacerbated by this administration’s actions taken (and not) as well.

Slow Down. Listen. Read.

Nonetheless, we can choose to do better. We can make the time to delve deeper into issues. We can nudge ourselves toward considering positions that are not typically our own. We can listen, particularly to the underlying reasons that friends and family may see issues differently. And we can set aside the rancor, albeit challenging to do so, when we feel we are not being seen or heard, or we are advocating for those who have too long been invisible.

Passion is one thing; vitriol is quite another. Whatever positions we hold, I believe that passion can reinforce them; vitriol dilutes them.

Now, I am not so naive as to think we can all sit around and partake of a series of kumbaya moments; the reality of political power in our country clearly shows that’s not going to happen. Moreover, I believe in peaceful protest and grassroots action. There are, without question, people of good faith and open minds who will benefit from respectful discussion and all of us who feel strongly about an issue would be wise to be equally open to other points of view.

Some of those points of view will be informed, truly informed. We may put more stake in them. On the other hand, some of those viewpoints may be informed by emotions like fear, and we should not discount the message in those emotions. So to those who may find themselves in a moment where conversation can take place, with similar or different perspectives involved, I urge you to take advantage of it.

Yup. Standing on My Soapbox.

As for my desire to cast a critical vote, ultimately, my search for a new place to live won out. And of course, I have registered to vote where I currently reside. I am, at the moment, learning about new local issues, here, where I hope to put down roots for a long time.

Still standing on my soapbox I will add this: The only way we will ever even begin to heal some of the divides in this country, in my opinion, is to set aside the rancor, stop making assumptions about other people and judging them as “good” or “bad” based on the political lines they may espouse. We need to listen to each other as well as to read, and to share what we can, when we can, with those who are open to hearing it. I have found more opportunities for this sort of information sharing than I can say, and I’m glad of that.

These conversations range from sharing why the Affordable Care Act protections for pre-existing conditions are vital, to the importance of who sits on the Supreme Court. These conversations are and have been with both women and men. Bringing my arguments down to the personal – speaking from my own life or describing decisions that would impact my children – is often a useful tool for making a point. Likewise, when my position has shifted, it has often been the result of someone explaining how and why an opposing stance impacts their family.

Another useful communication tool: speaking from my experience of living abroad.

“Everything Is Political”

I have come to understand that my many years of feeling that politics were due little priority in my everyday life was a mistake. I know why I felt this way; my “daily plate of crazy” really was crazy, overwhelming, and exhausting – for two decades. I was trying to get through the day, and sometimes, through the next hour. But I have also come to understand the profound truth of a remark an old friend made to me long ago: Everything is political.

Who we elect matters. We simply may not realize it in times when life seems especially easy or especially hard.

The midterms are three weeks away. That’s three weeks during which time you can inform yourself a bit better on the issues at hand, what the incumbents say and have actually done, and what their challengers say they will do differently as well as what their records reveal about them.

Sure, the pundits say this is a litmus test on Trump, and I don’t disagree. My own political leanings are clear, and this quick morning musing is not about which way you may incline or trying to convince you of my policy beliefs. What I do hope is to remind you that there are issues that matter at the local level as well as those that will potentially alter the balance – or its absence – in our current federal government. There are races for governors, attorneys general, judges and more. When we go to the polls we make key decisions that affect our lives, our children’s lives, our neighbors’ lives. So whatever you believe, I encourage you to learn what you can – you have the time and it really doesn’t take that much – and then exercise the privilege and responsibility we too often take for granted in this country.

Vote.

Helpful Online Resources

If you’re looking for a good way to start when it comes to elections – federal, state, and local – Ballotpedia can be very helpful. It is easy to navigate and you can plainly see Senate, House, governor, attorney general, secretary of state and other critical elections taking place across the country as well as local ballot measures.

Another useful reference: how to find your congressional representative.

Are you planning to vote? If not, why not? Do you have a millennial you can encourage to vote? Do you have friends or neighbors of any age who might be responsive to additional information on the issues? Is there someone you know who needs a ride to the polls?

 

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