Hey, y’all! This one is going to be short but sweet. So pull up a chair and let’s talk voting.
I was taught in Boy Scouts that voting is our civil duty as citizens
Whether or not that’s true can be debated. But I don’t think the impact of voting can. We have the opportunity to choose who represents us and who serves in office. I don’t think that can be overstated.
Sure, some policies skew the system or make it difficult to vote. That also is undeniable. But for those of us that can vote, we should. But that involves being informed. Which, I have to admit, I have not been as of late.
Luckily for us, Rona has postponed elections AND guaranteed that we get absentee ballots. There’s almost no excuse to not vote at this point. I just have a couple of things to ask.
We should try our best to make informed decisions
Voting is important, yes, but blindly voting can potentially be as bad as not voting at all. It’s incredibly easy to check a box. It’s difficult to check a box while understanding how that choice will affect us and our fellow citizens. So it’s important for us to try and gain an understanding of how policies and elected officials will impact the country as a whole.
Because it’s not just about us. I feel like every choice, every box, and every vote should be framed with the question “will this make our country better for everyone who lives here?” I feel like that will serve as a good barometer for whether our votes are for the greater good or just covering our own asses.
In terms of offices, we should vote for the candidate that most wholely represents us
This kinda feels obvious. But I’ve encountered so many people who vote for people just because of how they stand on a single issue, without even considering how their stance on everything else affects their constituents and the country as a whole. This plays back into being informed. But also back to empathy and considering the bigger picture.
That’s important to note because that’s really what elections are about: the bigger picture. Which should be trying to advance our civilization and make our world a better place to live for the species. But that at times can come down to material possessions, the oppression of ethnic groups, or other shit that won’t matter when we die. So on top of being informed, we need to consider the bigger picture and vote for people who we believe we lead us to that end goal. That also means not writing some dumb shit in on our ballots like Harambe or Joe Exotic.
The more local the election, the more immediate relevance to us
I mean, obviously the presidential election is important. What about your state governor and Congress? What about your mayor or police chief? These offices are immediately important to where we live and their elections happen more frequently. But we tend to ignore them in light of presidential elections. We need to make sure we treat local elections with the same reverence as federal.
Voting is something that impacts all people. If you’re not registered or just want information, here’s a resource to help. Just like self-care or meditating, it’s important that we take voting seriously and incorporate it into our lives. It affects not just us, but our community at large. It’s another way for us to try and make the world a better place.
Thank you for talking humans with me this week. I hope that you all vote in the upcoming elections. Share this with someone you think will get something out of it. And don’t forget to talk humans with someone this week. Until next time!