ONE WEEK

One week from today, November 8, 2022, the results of a mid-term election are likely to say what direction the United States is heading in the near future.  One week from today, this day being November 1.  Seven days. Reports suggest a significant increase in early voting and we won’t really know what that means until after November 8, 2022.  One week to go.  Whether or not you have already voted or are planning to vote next week doesn’t matter.  What matters is that if you are eligible, you exercise your sacred right of casting a vote for who you believe will represent you, your beliefs and values and who will protect your rights as a citizen of these somewhat disunited states.

Joan Neal, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer at NETWORK, put it this way: “The right to vote is also foundational to and a hallmark of a functioning democracy. And as people of faith, we believe that voting is not only a civil right, it is a covenant we have with one another and a moral responsibility.  Therefore, a truly pluralistic democracy, requires that every person/every citizen has the right to vote and that right be protected under law. And when that right is denied, when that right is abridged in any way for arbitrary reasons, it is a moral failure that people of faith, people of good will are obliged to confront. Voting and political participation in our democracy is one of the most important ways we can honor every person’s human dignity, enable our vision of justice, and contribute positively to the common good as members of society.”

I became 21 in 1958, the first year I could vote as the voting age was not changed to 18 until July 1, 1971.  My parents were role models for being what I call voices of reason in elections and I took my cues from them and followed in their footsteps.  I know others who rejected their parents’ views for different reasons and went their own way.  I believe we need to be in alignment with the values that are most important to us in our own lives regardless of others’ views.  We can listen respectfully to those with different views and here is where it seems to have broken down in recent weeks of such negative and toxic political diatribe choking the media with paid ads aimed at discrediting one’s opponents.  In my not so humble opinion, the  amount of money spent on political campaigns and ads is obscene with apparently no limit to paying to peddle influence.

Anyone who knows me knows where I stand on a number of social and political issues and I am not offering up any of my positions here, except for this right to vote, as that is not the purpose of this particular blog. My purpose in writing this piece is to encourage you to be an active participant in this democratic process and to urge you to reach out to others, both young and old, to also be active voices in this week ahead.

It’s kind of mind boggling to think that since 2016, according to the U.S. census, we have added more than 24 million newly eligible voters to the population of the United States.  I have a lot of hope in our newest and youngest voters to step up and let their voices and votes count next week. It is estimated that 50% of young people, ages 18-29, voted in the 2020 presidential election, a remarkable 11-point increase from 2016 when it was only 39%.  What can we do to increase that percentage from 2020?  One week to go!