A few weeks ago, I was helping gather signatures for the “A Better Richland” campaign when a young man stopped at our table to ask what we were doing.
“Gathering signatures to petition our city council for better representation,” I said. “Are you a registered voter in Richland?”
“Nah, I don’t vote,” he replied. “I don’t really have time, and it doesn’t make a difference anyway.”
I told him every vote matters, particularly in local elections, and by opting out he is letting others make decisions for him. Unconvinced, he turned and walked away.
I believe my vote matters, which is why I supported the petition for “A Better Richland,” which would change our city council from seven at-large positions to five positions by district and two at-large. Today, the proposed district where I live has no representative on the city council.
If our votes didn’t matter, candidates and political action committees wouldn’t be spending billions of dollars trying to influence us.
If voting didn’t matter, we wouldn’t be subjected to endless political advertising on television, radio, social media, email, and text messages.
If our votes didn’t matter, Republican state legislatures wouldn’t be enacting hundreds of new laws to make it more difficult for voters to cast a ballot, using the lie that ‘voter fraud’ is rampant. The truth is elections in the United States are extremely secure, and voter fraud is practically non-existent.
Not only does your vote matter, it is essential for a functioning democracy. Opting out of the process allows others to make decisions for you, and all too often those decisions are not in the interest of the people. We already know there is too much money in politics — too much influence by corporate lobbyists and powerful interests that undermine or block progressive efforts to fight poverty and injustice. If we don’t use our vote to elect leaders that support policies that work for all of us, we allow the powerful to use government to benefit some at the expense of the rest of us.
And the powerful continue to spend millions to get you to vote against your own interests. There are four initiatives on the Washington State ballot this year. All four are sponsored or supported by Let’s Go Washington PAC, a political action committee formed by a wealthy hedge fund manager who wants to repeal Washington laws that get in the way of corporate profits and impose fair taxes on the ultra-wealthy. Advertising in support of the initiatives claims average Washingtonians will benefit, but the cost to the environment and the drastic cuts to state revenue would be devastating for all of us. If your vote didn’t matter, these initiatives wouldn’t be on your ballot.
Presidential elections historically have the largest voter turnout. And this year is the most consequential presidential election of my lifetime. We have a choice between a convicted felon who tried to overturn the 2020 election, continues to lie about it, and who has promised to overturn our democracy if he is elected, and a candidate who takes her oath to support and defend the constitution seriously.
Donald Trump said that if he is elected, you won’t ever have to vote again. Kamala Harris wants to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act.
I don’t agree with everything Kamala Harris stands for. There are many policies of the United States that I strongly oppose. But I still believe that we can use our vote to continue to bend the arc of history toward justice and peace.
If you don’t like your choices for president, it is your right to opt out, and I will be the first to defend that right. But remember that there are other races and initiatives on the ballot this November. Don’t abdicate your vote for local and state elections because you don’t like presidential politics. Don’t opt out because you are tired of the rhetoric and divisiveness. Convincing us to give up on politics is another way to suppress our vote.
Exercise your vote and make a difference. Every vote counts, and every vote is essential to make our nation and our community a better place.
Our democracy depends on you.
Ted Miller grew up around the world but now lives in Richland with his wife. He’s a runner, actor, singer, nuclear engineer, and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Ted believes that if more people worked toward love and understanding instead of giving in to fear and divisiveness, the world would be a better place.
