The Power of the Ballot

 

My Freedom Ticket

Image Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

"Voting is the right upon which

all other rights depend."

--Thomas Paine

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

This election will be like no other in American history.  This is so obvious, it almost seems silly to make that statement.  The Pandemic, the widespread violence in the streets, a continual train of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, scandals, both real and imagined, impeachment, and other problems too numerous to mention have left a general feeling that America is on the brink of its own destruction.  That may be true.  It would also be true to remember our past, when events and actions created dire national situations, and didn't result in our ruin.  Its probably closer to the truth that every election feels like the last chance to lance the world's biggest boil and save our future.

But perception, for many, is reality.  And there's no denying that the United States is awash with a multitude of very dark perceptions.

But we're now looking down the barrel of the 2020 elections, not only for President, but a third of the Senate (think treaties and judicial nominees) and the entire House of Representatives.  On the local side, there will be governors, legislators, mayors, council people, school boards, county executives, judges, prosecutors, county clerks, and probably somewhere, dogcatchers.  There will be issues as well, like bonds for schools, highways, tax hikes, new laws and regulations -- anything and everything that can be squeezed onto a ballot.  All important stuff.

But despite the bountiful lessons from around the world of how special and precious this right to vote is, far too many of us will decline to participate.

Let's try to put this in historical perspective.  At the birth of this nation, those who had brought us through the agony of revolution and thirteen years of sometimes rancorous debate, it was decided that ordinary citizens of the United States would be given power over their government.  The British thought this was laughable, perhaps even dangerous.  Despotic leaders watched nervously, hoping this particular disease would not cross their borders.  Eventually (and far too slow, IMHO) the vote was expanded to racial minorities and women.  While the right to vote is not enshrined in the Constitution, the requirement of government to be responsive to the will of the people is.

My degree is in political science, so my education has enabled me to observe things from a slightly different perspective.  I am also well-traveled.  Forty-nine states, and thirty two countries, the exposure to which has gifted me a greatly expanded frame of reference.  

Most of that foreign travel came by way of the Navy.  I joined, and I really did see the world.  I didn't see those places from hotels and resorts, but took the time to walk the streets and barrios.  I met and talked with a lot of people, seeking to learn as much as I could about their lives.  A writer, any writer, has a natural curiosity about people's stories, and everywhere you go, there is story to be told, and to be heard.  I talked to people in Somalia, the rural Philippines, Korea, Japan, the Maldives, Oman, and many other places where the people had either lost control of their governments, or never had it in the first place.  From some, I heard  frustration and anger; from many, I heard resignation, and the certitude that nothing was ever going to change.

These experiences helped me to understand how special and precious the opportunities are in this country.  Popular opinion to the contrary, in America, if a person has a dream and understands that hard work and long hours are the tough, rocky, uphill climb to success, and are willing to commit to that effort, great things can still happen.  It will never flow to someone unbidden, but must be aggressively sought.  In far too many countries, the space and path to elevate one's self simply doesn't exist.  The government or dominant culture decides what you do for your living, and there is no choice. I have seen this with my own eyes; I know it to be true.  

My travels have shown me many valuable things, not the least of which being that anybody in America who complains about poverty has never set foot in Africa.  Dinesh D'Souza, the Indian-born writer, once told of an acquaintance who desperately wanted to emigrate from India to here. When Dinesh asked him why, he replied, "I want to live in a country where the poor people are fat."  During a port visit to Berbera, Somalia, I was told by a local resident that he wanted to come to America.  I asked him why, and he said, "Here in Somalia, no dreams will come true.  In America, all my dreams will come true."

This is how our country is viewed from the outside.  People are still lined up to come here, including those who risk life and limb crossing our borders illegally.  We forget that way too much.

Is life here perfect?  No. No way.  But neither have we given up on the process.  It's not just during elections.  We have access to elected representatives who are required to listen, even those who need to be reminded from time to time that we are their bosses, not the other way around.

In my life, I have worked on a campaign or two, and I can tell you that on election night, those candidates fear the voter's decision.  Looking over the past 30 years, we can see that there hasn't been a dominant party.  The majority shifts constantly, as we hire and fire them.  It's hard to embrace this at times, but We the People are the most powerful force in this Republic.  

The other remarkable facet of America is that anyone who meets the requirements can run for office.  Every election there are stories of someone who came out of nowhere -- a single mom on welfare, a factory worker, people from that euphemistic rank of "ordinary people" take on powerful incumbents -- and win.  Almost nowhere else on this planet does this happen with the regularity that it does here.  And yet, there are those who in the face of contrary evidence, insist that we are powerless.  

B freakin' S.

But whatever we want for this country, whatever dreams are out there, it all starts with a ballot, filled out and submitted.  It's time for all of us to acknowledge that power we have, and wield it decisively.  When participation levels are low, it is easier for cabals to organize and dominate.

I was taking my daily noontime walk around Johnstown, Pennsylvania on one election day.  I happened by a church which was designated as a polling place.  I stopped for a few minutes and watched the people as they went in and out.  I was struck by the purpose of their walk going in, and very impressed by the tremendous pride shown as they left.  Their backs were straight, their heads held high, their faces fairly glowing.  I was also impressed by how proudly they wore those cheap little "I voted" stickers on their shirts and coats.  They were announcing their willing participation, for sure.  But there was also the unspoken challenge to everyone else.  "Get off your (butt) and go vote!"

I don't know what the outcome will be of this constitutional event some 24 days hence.  This is a time when passions are running high, and there's no way of knowing if the defeated side (whichever it will be) will take to the streets in violent protest.  But for those of us who voted, fairly and legally, and who will accept the outcome, good or bad, we will know that we did what we could.  And if we lose, then we start fixing our party and platform for the next go-round.

In two years, we'll do this again.  And two years beyond that, once again.  If our side didn't win this time, there will be another time, very soon.

Set aside cynicism, fatalism, resignation.  Vote.

Be part of the solution for once.