Get Off That Chair And Vote

Election night looks bad for the Democrats; the question is one of degrees: will the Democrats lose catastrophic numbers of seats nationwide, or only suffer a minor setback. You have the ability to change what could be a wreck on the interstate to being a flat tire in the driveway.

If we all stopped enabling the Republicans—where we sit out the election because we know we won’t get what we want in one single election night—we could see a lot more wins, all over the country.

I’m here to urge everyone to vote.

I’m sure that being a Liberaland reader, you are already above average in looks and intelligence, so I’m sure I don’t have to convince you that voting is important. But maybe you have a friend or a relative who, dismayed by the politics that are grinding to a complete halt everything in our country, and who has decided to sit this election out; too pure, they want to sit above the fray. I want to give you some arguments to help convince this person to join you in voting on Tuesday.

• If your friend is unhappy with the two-party system, then they don’t have to vote for the two-party system.

Vote for a third-party candidate. Here in Seattle, we have a chance to vote for a socialist for the state assembly, imagine that! Your friend might say that voting for a third party candidate is throwing away his/her vote, but since you friend was not planning to vote anyway, it is just the opposite! If enough people voted for socialists, Green Party candidates, and unaffiliated progressives, the two-party system might improve, and a candidate who better represents your friend’s beliefs might be elected. Shorthand: sometimes the socialist wins! But the socialist will not win without voters.

• If your friend finds both candidates at the federal level to be, well, unacceptable, then encourage them to vote in the races that matter to him/her.

The local, county, and state races are the proving grounds for candidates who have national aspirations. If your friend hates his/her choices for Congress today, then imagine the choices next time if your friend doesn’t vote. Someone on your friend’s city council today might be up a choice for Congress tomorrow. Remember the Seattle socialist?

• If your friend tells you that there is no difference between the two major parties, well, your friend really needs some help.

Republicans are against all forms of reproductive choice. Republicans are against allowing minorities to vote (including racial minorities, sexual minorities, and religious minorities). The only thing that Republicans are in favor of is coddling the wealthy and empowering corporations. By not voting, your friend is serving their larger agenda.

The solution for all of us is not less engagement with the process, the solution is to become fully engaged. If you want better candidates, then you need to demand them. The way to demand better candidates is to participate.

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