America We Must Vote!
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By Marlena Ryan
The United States is in another election year. And while many Americans are ready for a change of leadership, there are some who support the current administration. While there are Trump supporters who believe that the polls are fake, or that COVID 19 is being blown out of proportion, or even that the Democrats want to destroy America with calls to defund police departments, there is a group of Trump supporters who believe that policy is paramount over character. While Trump’s character will leave with him, his policies and judicial appointees stand to last for decades. But what is a person’s character? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, character is defined as moral excellence. And the moral character of a President sets the tone for their Presidency. The policies and decisions that a President stands behind will often be a reflection of the President’s character whether good or bad. For instance, a President with good character would not allow families to be separated or children to be kept in cages.
A President with any moral character would not call Colin Kaepernick a “son of a bitch”, for kneeling on the football field during the U.S. National Anthem, nor would they tolerate a Congressman calling a Congresswoman “a fucking bitch”. And they certainly would not call white supremacists’ good people or peaceful protestors thugs. But each of these situations is not just a strike against Trump’s moral character. Each situation is a reflection upon Trump’s Presidency that has led to the division that we see within our country today. Our current President has become America’s greatest divider. No President will ever be perfect. But Americans should have a leader who is respectful, humble, honest, compassionate, smart, and who wants to lead our country towards being more united. We can have a President with both good character and good policies. But, in order to have that, we must vote.
I watched the funeral for Representative John Lewis on TV last Thursday. It was moving, inspiring, and had me reflecting on this: we must vote in this country like never before. We must not be silent. Voting is our voice. It is our opportunity to not only demand that we are heard, but our vote is the indicator of how much we care about our country and its citizens. Choosing not vote is basically saying that you are fine with the way things currently are in our country. To not vote is to also say that you do not care about what could even be avoided in our country. Our vote can greatly impact what life will look like for our children as they grow into adulthood. The decisions that will potentially be made by the next administration will affect them for better or worse. Do we care about the earth that will be left to them? Or the economy? Or the state of the educational system? We must vote.
Our vote can also greatly impact what happens to immigrants and refugees seeking to come to the US. Do we care about how they are being treated? Do we care about families being separated? Do we care about affordable health care and those with chronic illnesses or disabilities? Do we care about safe and affordable housing for families struggling to make ends meet? I care about what happens to the children, the immigrants, the underrepresented, the citizens of our country. Do you? Then vote.
Take a moment to picture what the next four years in our country could look like if the current administration remains in office. What could happen to programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)? What could happen to immigrants seeking asylum in our country? What kind of leadership might our country have in the face of another catastrophic crisis? The last four years have already brought many challenges from mass shootings, to long lines at polling facilities, to the COVID 19 pandemic. Will the current administration bring answers to these issues? Or would a new administration set us on a better course and unite our country instead of further dividing it? Casting a “protest vote” or no vote at all is not the answer. We must vote.
In the US, it is not uncommon for voter turnout to be low on election day, whether it is during midterms or a presidential election. The Pew Research Center found that voter turnout was about 56% in 2016. And in 2018, approximately 49% of adults ages 18-24 were even registered to vote. And now in 2020, with COVID 19 along with Trump promoting the false notion that voting by mail is somehow fraudulent, this coming election may be the most difficult and at the same time the most necessary.
Our country and our democracy cannot afford for us to sit this one out. Your vote in 2020 has the power to change the course of history. There is so much at stake. And if we choose to feel defeated and do nothing, we accomplish nothing just more of the same. We will continue to see our country crumble and its citizens become more divided. Our inaction now could result in devastating effects for years or even decades. With this year’s election, there are easily a million reasons to vote. Do you have at least one reason? Do you have a better reason not to?
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