“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” — Winston Churchill
It is the final days of summer on the calendar, but we have entered the autumn season in Upstate New York. There has been a distinct early morning chill in the air, and with that come the feelings and memories of magical times. For some, it means that the gorgeous foliage of our region is about to burst forth its colorful palette. For others, it means football season. For a segment of our society, fall means election season (insert groans here).
American elections are the bellwether of democracy throughout the world. In times of prosperity and in times of want, we have never failed to exercise our right to vote. We voted during the Civil War, the Great Depression, both world wars, the Dust Bowl, the civil rights movement and every economic boom and bust of our 235-year history of national elections.
We have voted for political parties with names such as Whig, Federalist, Know Nothing, Democratic-Republican, Independent Republican, Fusion, Nullifier, Anti-Masonic, Anti-Jacksonian, Southern Democratic, Constitutional Union, Democratic/Liberal Republican, Straight Out Democratic, People’s, National Democratic, Prohibition, Nationalist Prohibition, Socialist Labor, Socialist, Progressive, Farmer-Labor, American, Communist, States’ Rights, Constitution, Socialist Workers, National States’ Rights, American Independent, Peace and Freedom, Libertarian, U.S. Labor, New Alliance, Consumer, National Economic Recovery, Right to Life, Green, Natural Law, and the Arizona Libertarian Party. Wow.
Despite all these choices over all these years, American voters have seen it as their duty to vote. Not every vote may have been well thought out (see list above) but everyone has the Constitutional right and civic duty to participate in the great democratic experiment we call the United States of America.
But over our history, our participation has been spotty at best. The first two elections posted just 6% to 9% participation. There were many factors involved here, so let us call this an outlier. From 1860 to 1900, the voter turnout — as percentage of eligible population — never waivered below 80%, with a high of 83% in 1876. Recently, the lowest benchmark occurred in 1996 with just under 52%. The last election cycle in 2020 brought out a solid 66% rate of voter participation so we are getting better, but we aren’t there yet and we need choices to vote for.
In 2022, candidates for the county sheriff, a town justice, a town clerk, a town supervisor one Assembly seat and four council seats were unopposed. Not only is it our constitutional duty to vote, but it is also our duty to run for office if qualified. A choice from a list of one is not a choice.
While it is everyone’s clear duty to vote, it is not required in the Constitution to vilify fellow citizens with whom you disagree. It is not part of our social contract with each other to call people names, make outlandish statements in the press, flame them on social media and demean fellow American citizens. Nazis, communists, baby-killers, war mongers, haters of America and sociopaths should not be used to describe those who hold different viewpoints from our own.
As a nation, we seem to have lost our way, somehow. As those terms have become everyday fodder for political ideologies throughout this nation, they have pushed other terms out of our national lexicon — words like commonality, compromise, reconciliation, empathy, kindness, privacy, understanding, acceptance, charity, facts and truth. As Homer Simpson famously said, “every time I learn something new, something else falls out of my brain.” So true Homer. So true.
So, on Nov. 5, please remember that it is your patriotic duty to vote. Whether you choose to vote Republican, Democratic or Know Nothing, just vote. Vote for every contest that is available to you on your ballot. Council, dog catcher or Grand Pooba, make your voice heard.
Afterward, be gracious. Be a good winner or a good loser. No one benefits from denigrating your fellow citizens. It is not, and it should never be all about you. It has always been, and should remain, all about us.