by Lindsay Bowyer

It’s safe to say that unless you’ve been living under a rock, you knew this year’s election cycle would be intense. Between confrontations with Iran, Trump’s impeachment trials and what was an excessively wide field of Democratic candidates, many of us were burnt out before the primaries even arrived. A lot of Americans are understandably tired and worn thin in an election cycle that feels much like the rest of 2020: abnormal, divisive, and emotionally and intellectually exhausting. In a season where so many of us are struggling with a public health crisis, the subsequent loss of employment, virtual schooling and ongoing protests against police brutality, sussing out which judges should stay where and which proposed amendment means what can seem overwhelming at best. Many folks are asking, “Why bother? Will things really change that much? It doesn’t matter anyway.” To this, I respectfully but unequivocally counter: Yes. It. Does.

Your Voting Rights Came at a Price

Prior to the Revolutionary War, only 6% of the American population was qualified to vote. Anyone who was not a white, Christian, land-owning male over the age of 21 had a long way to go. Women, racial minorities, and the poor have lobbied, marched, been beaten, imprisoned, gone on hunger strikes and been force-fed in their mission to win voting rights. The American women’s suffrage movement officially started in 1848, yet another 72 years would pass before white women had the right to vote nationwide. Voting rights for African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx, and Native Americans would not be granted for several more decades, and even now individuals often face intimidation, suppression and disenfranchisement at the polls. To choose not to vote is to spurn the sacrifices made by so many to guarantee us this right.

Practices Makes a More Perfect Union

The practice of voting as we know it today (i.e one open to all genders, races, and socio-economic classes) is not even 100 years old! Unconstitutional measures like poll tests and poll taxes weren’t struck down until the 1960s. While that may seem like ages ago to Millennials and newly eligible Gen Z, the time since then accounts for just a fraction of our nation’s history. As such, the laws and practice of voting continue to evolve. In my own home state of Florida, a debate over restoring the voting rights of nonviolent felons has been raging for nearly two years—and will likely continue for some time. 

Additionally, democracy is one of those funny things that works best the more people participate in it, and sadly, Americans don’t have the greatest track record when it comes to voter participation. Despite our population size, the US doesn’t even rank in the top ten for eligible voter turnout (Belgium ranks number one at roughly 88%). It’s easy for us to feel like voting is meaningless when the government doesn’t seem to reflect our values, but this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy all too easily: the fewer the voters, the less of us will be represented. As of 2016, a little more than half the eligible voters participated in the election (55.7%). Furthermore, as of that same year, only 64% of the voting age population was even registered to vote. I’m no scientist, but it seems awfully shortsighted to dismiss a process that has yet to be utilized to its full potential. Imagine what our country would look like if 90% of the eligible population voted. This is a dream that’s entirely possible—and it starts with you.

You’re Voting for More Than President

The President may be only one person (albeit a very important one), but they are responsible for filling a lot of other seats. Department secretaries like Secretary of State, the Interior, Education, advisors, ambassadors, judges, and Supreme Court Justices (sigh)—all of these positions come with their own policy-making/influencing power, and often leave a legacy that outlasts the President who appointed them.

What’s more, whether it’s a midterm or a presidential election, there are way more things on your ballot than just the big name seats. Local officials, state representatives, circuit judges, and constitutional amendments are just as significant, and in many ways, have a more direct impact on your life.

Unhappy with your current property taxes? Your county, not the federal government, is likely responsible. Want to see more money allocated for school improvement in your city? Your city council could make that happen! Even a structure as intimidating as the electoral college is ultimately beholden to state, not federal government. And if Googling your entire sample ballot sounds too daunting, look to organizations you trust. Local newspapers, Ballotpedia, and groups like the Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters will provide a breakdown of ballot measures and endorsements in layman's terms. Ballot language can be tricky and misleading, it never hurts to get a second or third opinion. Remember: an informed voter is a powerful voter!

Your Vote is Powerful

The polar views of “this elected official will fix everything” and “this elected official doesn’t matter” both exist in positions of privilege. To the former: no single person will fix all of our problems; not a president, not a senator, nobody. Not only is this because their office is subject to term limits and checks and balances, but because they’re human. To place the responsibility of improving the state of our nation solely on the shoulders of one person is to neglect the duty each of us has to members of our community that we can help right now, election year or not. To the latter: while American democracy may be deeply flawed, it is not without merit. Voting gave us our youngest sitting Congresswoman, the first Muslim women in Congress, the first openly gay senator and our country’s first Indigenous women representatives. A double amputee veteran and the first senator to give birth in office sits in Congress now because of voting. While they may represent a smaller portion of our government, their election is not meaningless, and was made entirely possible by voters who believed they could make a difference.

We may not get the results we want this election cycle. After all, there can only be one winner. But voting is a long game, one that takes diligence, discipline, and even empathy. It is, at its heart, both an individual and communal act; one that people both in the U.S. and abroad still fight to preserve and protect. And let me be clear: our responsibilities to one another don’t end on November 3rd. Voting is just one tool in the toolbox, so to speak. But it’s a tool you should use, one that I hope you wield with care and consideration for those around you, and those to come after you. While there’s no more a perfect voter than there is a perfect candidate or policy, I do still hold on to hope that if all of us can do so, we can build what our Constitution so ineffably calls “a more perfect Union.”

Lindsay is originally from Dallas, TX, but has been a Jacksonville, FL native for 17 years. She's a proud graduate of the University of North Florida where she received her Bachelor's degree in art history and psychology. She loves to read, take walks by herself, hang out with her daughter and boyfriend, and daydream about their next adventure. She works at a locally owned restaurant to pay the bills, but is an artist and writer to survive.