Vote For the Future You Want

Don't vote for the past and present you are clinging to preserve

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

In Embracing Curiosity, I step away from writing about travel to comment on the bigger journey of life, exploring my faith and politics with curiosity and nuance.

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I have a love/hate relationship with politics.

I love studying the history of politics. I love seeing how the past informs the present and impacts the future. I love being engaged in a system that is complex and challenging.

I hate how ugly politics can be. I hate that our history is full of political violence against those trying to improve the odds for all citizens. I hate what politics in the 21st century has done to families and friendships across the country, including my own.

I also care about the future of my country. I believe in the power of the people to change a country’s trajectory with meaningful political engagement. I see my Christian faith as a part of who I am as a human being but not a part of my identity as an American citizen.

Separating My Faith From the Flag

And that is why I believe voting matters more now than ever before.

I’ve spent years embracing my political homelessness. I’m thankful that I’ve always lived in a state that allowed me to vote in primaries without declaring a political party. I want to vote for who I believe will be the best person for a job, not because of the letter next to their name, but because of their qualifications and the positive impact they want to have on me and my fellow citizens. For years, I’ve split my ticket, even if that meant doing a couple of hours of research, especially during the years that we lived in Harris County, Texas.

I’m not voting to preserve an ideology or to go back to the way things were or to cling to a version of the past that never really existed.

I vote for a better future for me and my kids and their peers. I vote for a better future for my neighbors and fellow citizens. I vote for the preservation of democracy.

People bemoan the fact that we have a two-party system, but it doesn't have to be a negative feature of American politics. A quick look around the globe and it is pretty easy to see that multi-party democracy isn’t necessarily any better than what we have here.

The real problem we need to address is the fact that a two-party system requires two healthy parties. It requires two healthy parties who are able to bring ideas to the table, discuss them openly, and compromise on ideas that reflect the will of the American people. It requires two healthy parties that stay away from anti-democratic and illiberal ideologies. It requires two healthy parties with representation that looks like the country they are elected to represent.

It also requires two strong political parties that welcome competition from competent third-party candidates because they know that makes America better. It doesn’t shut down competition but welcomes it.

But we don't have that. We barely have one competent political party that is trying to be too much for too many people and another political party intent on winning at all costs, no matter how many people get hurt in the process and with no regard for what it does to our democratic republic.

Do we have the power to change this? Yes, we do. Ranked Choice Voting would be a huge step forward in local and state politics, as well as primaries for national office. It would encourage competition, de-radicalize candidates, and open doors for women, minorities, and third-party candidates to have a legitimate chance at winning races and bringing more voices to the table. Encouraging young people to vote and making it easier for them to understand the system would increase the represented views of the people. And we need to be paying attention to the work of the January 6 Committee and refuse to vote for candidates who argue against the realities of a free and fair election. (And for more on this, listen to this Pantsuit Politics episode on the importance of this year’s midterm elections.)

And we can do all of that and more, if democracy wins the ballot in November.

We don’t need to be political news junkies to be informed voters, but we do need to pay attention to where we are getting our news and step out of our bubbles. We do need to encourage our friends and family to do the same. And when good things happen, we need to celebrate the good news and reward the politicians who made those good things happen. (And possibly fire the ones who voted against it.)

Are things rough right now? Yes, yes they are. The Russian war on Ukraine echoes past unhinged dictators who had an impact on the globe. Gas prices make me cringe every time we go to the pump. Our food costs for a family of four have forced me to cut back on a lot of things that in the past wouldn’t have been a big deal. And I know that it’s going to cost us more to heat our home this winter.

But I decided years ago that my vote mattered because it was a vote that moved us forward. We have climate legislation that is going to positively change my family’s life (because we can’t wait to get those solar panels) and vastly improve the future of the planet for my children and grandchildren. We have fewer children living in poverty than we did four years ago. And a lot more changes that will make our lives better appear to be right around the corner, if we vote for them.

Every election matters. Every elected position matters. And the integrity of every person running for office matters. January 6, 2021 taught us many things, including just how serious the job is that we are asking our elected officials to do. We need people who are serious about doing the job. People who understand what is at stake. People who truly understand what the Constitution, whether state or federal, is asking them to do.

Once again, this year I’m voting for the continued hope in a better future for me, my family, and my community. I hope you will do the same.

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