The Urgency Of Voting

Goal: Equity and equality for all humans in a civilized society?

Tool to get there: Vote Blue at every level even if you don’t love the candidate

Hear me out.?

Don’t like Democrats or Republicans? Join the club! It’s a f’ing mess! And it’s what we have right now. You don’t have to like it; you do need to engage with it to make positive change. Yes, I know they're all corrupt. Vote for the least corrupt one and get what you want such as accountability for mass shootings.

I believe in democracy. Even a shitty democracy is better than tyranny in my book. This sucks because making change in a democracy takes forever. If I sound glib to you, I am not. I am a ball of f’ing fire. I want change n o w. I want positive change. I want to reduce suffering. I want open pathways for all humans to show up fully and safely.?

Ready to write off democracy? The way I see it, our government options are:

1. Stay a democracy and have elected people represent you to pass laws that you want. This requires that you vote for the least corrupt candidate who aligns with your values.
2. Tyranny. Like Russia.
3. Communism. Like China which is actually Tyranny.
4. Chaos. Kind of like what we have now but much much worse.

I propose we work within our broken democracy. The image above is a simple grid for how it works. We have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial, which exists at three levels: local, state, and federal. Our system has Vertical power sharing - when power is shared across the hierarchy.?99% of the positions in the image are elected officials. Your local county representative can affect your town library by banning books. Your state Attorney general can protect reproductive care access regardless of the law. The Federal level is important, but not in place of state and local. Here are 4 actual examples:

1. My school district had a vote for a budget a few weeks ago. In that budget were funds to support education about topics that some residents did not want taught and others, like me, absolutely wanted them taught. We won by a tiny majority. This means that the 1,534 students in my district will now be taught things that another district banned. Imagine the ripple effect of these kids growing up to be parents, business people, Senators, Congresspeople, the President, and how their education will have shaped their view of the world. I don’t have any kids in the schools, but I voted because I live in the district, I pay taxes, and therefore it’s my right. By voting for a school budget that includes my values, I have set in motion a ripple effect that can contribute to positive change across our country and the world. Grandiose? No. Truth. Change happens human by human.
2. Depending upon the state's law, District Attorneys may be appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction or elected by local voters. Should the Roe v. Wade SCOTUS ruling become final, district attorneys will play a vital role in protecting women’s health as they have the power to decide whether or not to prosecute abortion or other pregnancy outcomes. In 2020, 64 district attorneys pledged not to criminalize abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. In 2022, it's more important than ever for them to keep their promises, especially in states controlled by Republican legislatures.
3. In New York State, when Democrats took the Senate Majority they immediately codified Roe v. Wade into state law, allowing NY to withstand any Supreme Court decision.
4. A New York State Senator is sponsoring a bill that would create a new electoral crime of voter suppression. Y’know the red lining that is happening all over the country. NY is actually quite red, so this Bill is powerful and important.

You can engage with our shitty state of government by running for office, going to marches, signing petitions, writing letters to elected humans, and sharing posts on social media. These actions are powerful ways to release frustration and energize others. The most important action is to Vote. In every single election from local school board all the way to presidential. You don’t need to know or care about every issue. You just need to know what you care about and vote for that, every time and at every level.

For over 20 years I considered running for political office in some capacity. I did boot camps, took a vacation to be at the democratic national convention, and went to conferences. I had fun at these events, but the day to day wasn’t for me. At a conference, I learned that as far back at the 1980’s there was a group of extremists who had started planting local officials all over small towns in the USA. They had a vision and they were tenacious and patient. They are the reason we are where we are right now. Remember - laws are upheld at local, state and federal levels. It matters who is elected to these offices.

Why vote Blue? Our country is based on greed and that’s not changing soon. Use that to your advantage. Vote for someone who is more likely to use money for actions that align with your values.

Pastor John Pavlovitz wrote this on June 5, 2021,” If the 2022 midterms elections allow Republicans to gain control of Congress, Conservative Christians will decimate this nation, and LGBTQ people, Muslims, women, people of color, and non-Christians will never have equality under the law again. We will all be at their mercy—and they will no longer have use for mercy.” https://bit.ly/3Gh9wbU

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