I’ve been advocating for seniors for 25 years and I’ve written probably 30 or more blogs/newsletters/email alerts encouraging older Americans to vote, either in the primaries or the general election. I’ve used many adjectives and carefully constructed phrases to cajole, encourage, and beg seniors to exercise the most powerful advocacy tool they possess . . . the vote. I don’t know if I’ve been successful, it’s very hard to evaluate the impact of these types of communications, but I’m not giving up! I’ve reflected back on the different tactics I’ve used - and there is one that that was ill advised and I’ll tell you why.
I threatened, or at least strongly advised, that if a person didn’t vote they didn’t have the right to complain about the outcome or the ongoing actions of lawmakers. I was wrong in making that claim. The same constitution and amendments that gave everyone the right to vote also gave us the right to free speech and to petition the government. It does not require a check to see if you voted before you could exercise those rights. Having said that, as you discuss the actions of your lawmakers, pointing out that you exercised your right to vote, does give you an added measure of respectability - and if that encourages you to vote, then I’m ecstatic.
I want to reiterate that I’m not, in any way, saying which way or who you should vote for. I try really hard to be neutral and just focus on issues rather than on party affiliation. The fact of the matter is that I do know who I voted for in the primaries and I’ve received my ballot in the mail, and I know who I’m going to vote for in the mid-terms. I’m not naïve enough to think my biases don’t come out as I write my weekly blogs and during my Facebook live videos. What I do hope is that no matter which side of an issue you are on, my blogs give you information that might clarify, bolster, or change your understanding of the issue in question. The basic goal of what I’ve done over the years is to simplify the understanding of the often-complicated issues and detail the impact a piece of legislation or a specific regulation will have on seniors.
So, why should you vote this time around? There is something that I think can motivate us. Historically, mid-term elections have been the time when the President’s party loses seats in Congress. It seems that the polls have been notoriously wrong in the last few years, so I don’t have much faith in their predictions, but I do know that the Republican majorities in the Senate and House are small, and it really won’t take much to flip one or both of those bodies. It’s very easy to know which states and districts are predicted to be close so anyone in those states should be especially motivated to get to the polls. You can probably tell if you are in one of these “battleground states” by the number of political ads you are subjected to. Even if you are in a solid blue or red state your vote can still send a message to your lawmakers. Members of Congress who are running as incumbents pay attention to their winning percentage the last time they were (re)elected. They notice when that percentage changes, they recognize positive trends and really pay attention to negative trends. They also respond to letters/phone calls/emails that say, “I voted for you because _____”. They also respond to state specific issues. Lawmakers lost their jobs in my state due to their stance on building new data centers. Proving in this case that voting does give you a stronger voice with elected officials.
I do want to say something about voter fraud. This issue just seems to be a cloud that continues to hang over our elections. I haven’t seen anything that gives any indication of widespread fraud changing an election. I do worry about attemps to reduce access to voting locations or make it more difficult for eligible voters to cast their ballots. We should always protect the ability of every eligible voter to exercise this fundamental right.
Lastly, (caution the following opinion could be biased), I worry about the amount of money that is spent on political ads. I don’t blame those who run the ads, I blame the influence these ads have on the voters that causes candidates to continue to run them. I personally have found very little in political ads that has given me reliable and informative information on any candidate. If we all did our homework and made our own informed decisions on who we should vote for, the ads would cease to be worth the money, and we would no doubt elect more deserving lawmakers. OK, that’s my rant for the day.
Get out and vote. I don’t know of any good reason to not vote. It is the loudest way that we can speak out.
Best, Thair
P.S. – Flu is coming early this year, go get your flu shot.