“What’s the most powerful action I can take if I want to make change happen?” the college student asked. Without hesitation, I answered, “Vote. In every election, vote.”
In August, we celebrated 100 years of women’s rights to vote. Though the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the use of sex as a criteria for voting rights, it didn’t eliminate state laws that kept many Black Americans from the polls and it didn’t address concerns about violence and lynching which deterred some Black Americans from voting. Many Black women had to wait to exercise their right to vote for almost fifty more years.
After all the struggles for voting rights in our nation’s history, I am astounded by how many people do not regularly exercise this right. In recent history, only about half of eligible voters get out to vote in major partisan elections. The statistics for midterm, odd year, and local elections are quite dismal with far fewer participating. It is encouraging to see exceptionally high levels of voters turning out this fall.
I remember the first time I voted—it was the presidential election in November 1980 when Ronald Reagan ran against incumbent President Jimmy Carter. I remember standing in a long line to vote on campus at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. This was a new experience for me. Though I had good role models (my parents were frequent voters), I had never voted at college until then—when I was twenty years old.
There had been a lot of buzz on campus to get out and vote in the presidential election. It was just the push I needed to search out the time and place around my class schedule and evaluate the candidates as I prepared to cast my first ballot. Having never voted before, I admit to my anxiousness. Would I have trouble understanding how to properly complete the ballot? Would my identification be suitable? As I look back now, I think I felt then like I feel now when I am waiting in line at an airport for security screening or to show my boarding pass to get on a plane. It’s the process I must go through in order to get where I want to go.
Voting is like that: it helps us go places.
The people who win elections become our navigators—like them or not. They are the compasses and maps for directions our communities, our state, our nation and our lives may take as they influence policies and other policymakers affecting our rights, our health, our livelihoods, our future.
Those days on campus since voting in my first election are long ago. Since then, I ran a political campaign of my own and was elected to serve in local public office. I represented 71,000 citizens as elected county executive for two 4-year terms ending in 2018. In April this year, I was asked to be a poll worker for my local town. This gave me an opportunity to see elections “from the other side.” I developed even greater respect for the process as I went through poll worker training and learned about the checks and balances used by multiple people to ensure the integrity of our elections. I witnessed firsthand the professionalism, care, and attention to detail it takes to honor this promise to Americans. At the end of the evening, I was honored to be asked to go outside to call out the timeless message, “Hear ye, hear ye! The polls are now closed.”
When’s the last time you called “hear ye” to anyone?
I felt like “ye old town crier” then—like I was declaring the polls closed a hundred years ago. Had anyone been in line at that moment, they would have been allowed to remain in line to vote. Latecomers would be turned away by other polling officials. That night, we had no line and turned no one away. With the “hear ye” lingo, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the flow of generations voting before me so I could have this right to vote today. Every time I vote, it is also a way of honoring my foremothers and forefathers and parents who stood up for me so I can, in turn, stand up for myself and others through my voting preferences.
This year, I published a book, Empowered: One Planet at a Time, for people—especially young adults—who want to make their voices heard as change makers in this world. Gosh knows, hearing the voices of our new generation of voters is of critical importance because the governmental decisions made or not made now will greatly affect their future. On page 16, I wrote: When you are silent on an issue, it is the same as taking a stand on it. It is your choice, but when you are silent for whatever the reason—like not registering and showing up to vote—you give your power to others. You defer to them and let them make decisions for you.
Young adults, this is your moment to stand up for yourself and your future.
The November 3rd election results will have a significant effect on your destiny. If you are eligible to vote and do not show up to vote, it is the same as letting others decide that destiny for you. Please plan ahead to make sure you get to have your say.
Your vote is your voice.
Yes, we might feel discouraged about whether or not our vote will make a difference. We might not find a candidate who fits our values perfectly. We might feel disgusted by the smear campaigns, the money thrown at elections, or by the ugly signs. I get it. I have felt the same way. But, one thing is for sure: if we do not vote when we are eligible to vote, we give our power away to others. And if we cast an uneducated vote, we do ourselves a disservice, too. There’s so much misinformation floating around everywhere. That’s why doing our homework on candidates is so important. Find the person who most closely matches your values as a human being. Someone who cares about the same issues you do and has a sensible plan to address issues you are concerned about. Then, take your decision, your power, to the voting booth and don’t let anyone intimidate you along the way. This is your vote. Not your family’s vote. Not your friend’s vote. Not the vote for the sign you see down the road. This is YOUR VOTE. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for your future. You deserve a bright journey to a place you want to go.
—Patty Dreier
Photo courtesy of Tina Lechner