If you watch/read the news, you know that midterm elections are around the corner. How could you not know? I can’t be the only one whose house phone (yes, I still have one of those) is ringing off the hook with political surveys, cell phone is blowing up with voting reminder texts, mailbox is overflowing with candidate flyers, and social media feed is flooded with political ads. Please, MAKE IT STOP.
I swore I’d never post about politics on this blog, but I also swore I’d never talk about religion or my sex life, and we know how well I stuck to those promise. [If you don’t know, go back and read my midlife sex post here and any of my Lenten posts here, here, here, or here, to include just a few.] So here we are, talking politics …
When I was 18, I registered as an Independent voter. I probably wouldn’t have registered at all if it wasn’t a required part of my high school civics class. I wasn’t exactly “into” politics back then, and the class was just a basic summary of how the U.S. government and economy worked, so it didn’t exactly pique my interest.
Back in 1990, when I labeled myself an Independent voter, I thought I was being a rebel. I didn’t want to be put in a box as a Democrat or Republican (not that I really even understood what that meant). I thought if I registered as one or the other, I was obligated to vote that way, even if I didn’t like the candidate. Either I wasn’t paying attention in class or the summary was too basic because that’s not how it works. I know that now.
To be honest, I shunned my civic responsibility for many years, opting not to vote in most elections because I didn’t follow politics and didn’t know one candidate from the next. Especially on the local level. But then I married a man who was all about importance of casting a ballot, so I started to pay attention and learn.
The big turning point for me was the 2008 presidential election. Building up to that time, I had witnessed first-hand, through my husband, sons, and in-laws, the inequities and injustices that exist in our world and in our own backyard. When Barack Obama was elected President (the first and second time), it gave me hope. And more importantly, I saw that it gave my Black husband and my biracial sons hope.
I’ve grown up a lot since I was 18. I’m still registered as an Independent, but if you know me IRL or read this blog regularly, it’s pretty obvious which way I skew when I vote.
Maybe it’s because I have a Black husband.
Maybe it’s because I have biracial kids.
Maybe it’s because I have non-binary nieces and nephews.
Maybe it’s because I have Christian, Jewish, and Muslim relatives.
Maybe it’s because I have a uterus.
Or maybe it’s just because I have a heart, a brain, and a conscience.
Despite my strong beliefs, I’m never going to put a political bumper sticker on my car or add a lawn sign to my front yard announcing my allegiance to a political candidate or party. The only sign that will ever grace my home is the one instructing passers-by to DO YOUR BEST, a common refrain said by my friend, Emily, who passed away much too soon.
SIDE NOTE: To the naive person who placed a polarizing, politically inaccurate placard on my property without my permission, I moved it to where it really belongs — the trash.
What I will do is make my voice heard and vote. In every election. Local and national. Because every vote counts and the stakes are too high.
Whether you agree with me or not (but especially if you agree with me), make your voice heard. GO VOTE.
-LJDT
