Why is Making a Choice so Difficult?

Authors Note: this particular blog post is going to be a bit righteous. I will apologize in advance for the sermon, but not for the message.

After a long campaign journey, the time has mercifully come for each of us to make some choices. I will admit that for me there is a feeling of great relief since I long ago grew weary of what has been a deplorable process. This is not about democrats or republicans, Clinton or Trump, or liberal or conservative – it is about the state of our electoral system and our ability to participate effectively. How many ways can I count the pain of the last two years?

• I am shocked by things said and done by candidates and their supporters that have taken the democratic process to depths it should never see.
• I fear the divisiveness that has been exposed in our country and our inability and even unwillingness to try and bridge those gaps.
• I am stunned by the brazen disregard for the facts and for truth.
• I am disappointed that the important issues have been lost in the chaos, left behind as if they were just trash to be cleaned up after the fight.
• I am dismayed by the choices in front of me.

The list of excuses not to vote is lengthy:

1. I don’t like either of the candidates for president.
2. I live in a blue/red state, so my vote doesn’t matter.
3. I think the process is “rigged”.
4. I don’t really understand the issues.
5. I can’t be bothered to get a ballot, go to the polls, or even register.

Somehow over the years the American psyche has developed an attitude that voting is somehow optional, inconvenient, or just unimportant. Over the last 50 years, voting rates in PRESIDENTIAL election years has averaged between 55 and 65%. That means that almost half of us don’t care, can’t be bothered, couldn’t figure it out. And when you get to the bottom of the disaster that has been the 2016 campaign, perhaps it is this voter apathy that is the root cause. As the expression goes “you get what you pay for.”

And yet in all of the morass and cataclysm, the fact remains that it is more important than ever that we all VOTE. If there is going to be any rescue, any recovery, any redemption from what has been a mind-numbing two years, it can only come through a massive voter turnout.

So let’s debunk the excuses to expose them for exactly what they are:

The Candidates: I will stipulate that I don’t like either candidate, and the polls show that I’m not alone. If there was a choice on the ballot that said “Try Again”, many of us would probably select that. But that is not how elections work. We have choices to make and each of us must decide which candidate is “better.”

In fact, a non-vote is actually a proactive vote for someone since it takes your vote away from the other candidate. The same is true if you vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein.  I know that sounds backwards, but a vote for anyone but Clinton or Trump takes a vote away from one of them. If you are a dedicated libertarian, socialist or environmentalist, you should certainly vote that ticket. Anyone else MUST make a choice between Clinton and Trump. There is nothing more useless than a protest vote that nobody will hear.

Red Versus Blue: It is certainly true that voting patterns match to certain states and it is also true that many districts within states have been gerrymandered. But this election is different. Donald Trump is not a typical republican and Hillary Clinton is not the most loved democrat. 

A number of states including North Carolina, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Iowa, and Georgia amongst others are up for grabs like never before. More importantly, many states have US Senatorial elections, and every ballot has congressional seats, large numbers of local positions, citizen’s initiatives, and other measures that require your attention. And even if your state is a “Trump” or “Clinton” stronghold, you must vote to send a message – the popular vote does not elect the president directly, but it absolutely sends a message. That message will be critically important in the aftermath of a messy, disturbing campaign.

Are the Dead Voting?: Leaving aside my opinions about the candidates, Trump’s claim that the system is somehow rigged is amongst one of the most dangerous and devious plots of all. While I don’t love the design of our elections, it’s decentralized nature and the complex set of controls in place make it impervious to systematic “rigging”. 

To be clear, there will be some illegal votes – but every review and survey has shown that the numbers are infinitesimally small, random in nature, and unable to affect the outcome. Are there people working to ensure that Trump doesn’t win? Yes. Just as there are people working to ensure that Clinton loses. The media, PACs, and other groups absolutely try to influence voters.  All of this is the process of campaigning and waging a fight for office. That is not “rigging.” Your vote will count as will millions of other legitimate votes – and we all must abide by the outcome.

Ignorance Is Bliss: In the age of the internet, it’s hard to accept this as an excuse. At the presidential level, there has never been a campaign more covered, more discussed, more debated, and more analyzed than this one. You might have to dig for some information on the actual issues, but the information is absolutely there. 

Local elections, are a bit tougher – I’m sometimes mystified by the judicial court elections and things like the Commissioner of Public Lands. Still, the information is there at the end of your fingertips if you are willing to spend a few minutes. Newspapers (yes they still exist) publish recommendations on their editorial pages and most civic organizations publish their endorsements as well. Of course, your friends and co-workers will certainly have opinions if you ask. ALL of this information has some level of bias, so you will have to decide who to trust, but that is just another choice. With the responsibility of citizenship comes the obligation to spend a bit of time, research your options, and cast your ballot. Ignorance is no excuse.

Lazy or Busy: Really? Is that the best you’ve got? Your country, your state, and your local community ask you for less than an hour of your time, and you can’t be bothered? And I will bet you are the one bitching at the office or at a dinner about the “mess in Washington” or how frustrated you are with “City Hall.” I understand people who feel disenfranchised, who are frustrated, who are losing hope – and I would still tell them to vote. Apathy is the end of democracy. The end of our country.

The truth of the matter is that making these types of choices is often difficult, especially given the nature of the candidates and their campaigns. It is certainly possible to get frustrated and just decide to avoid the whole process. And that is the trap we must all avoid. We must all send a message -- a message from the people that says we care, that says we will be heard, that says we can see through the grit and grime and excrement to make a choice. In fact, to make many important choices.

It may seem anachronistic and ultra-patriotic to talk about civic duty and the responsibilities of citizenship. So be it. If you really do want a Great America, you have to make choices. Take the time, fill out your ballot, and then ask others whether they’ve voted.  To have a seat at the table, you have to vote.