Voting Responsibly Improves Our Nation

The 2020 Presidential election yielded so much chaos partially because the last 21 years of elections are often split almost 50/50. Only local elections take place this year, but those are the elections that affect us the most. The US Congress and Senate races start next year. We can have a greater say by voting in our state primaries too.

In June 2020, I contemplated ideas on what I feel would improve police and race relations. On Facebook, I wrote a post to my friends and family about my thoughts. A police spouse mentioned that if we don’t like how police operate, then we need to change the laws.

Her comment and other memes, articles, and social media posts have stewed in my head. I really thought about changing our laws to prevent police brutality and improve race relations. We are a democratic republic, so we have more control over our laws than other forms of government. How we vote determines how much power the government and law enforcement agencies have. Some states are already making changes to reduce police brutality, while some cities have gone to the extreme of defunding police. The pendulum has swung back where many cities are trying to rehire police after record crime rates in 2020-2021.

Since 9/11, US citizens have surrendered some of their freedoms in the name of safety. We have let the fear of death overcome our reasoning. Exchanging some freedoms for security has given an illusion of safety, but created other problems. We have less speech, less privacy, lack of due process, more invasive search and seizures, and so on. In this process, we have allowed law enforcement agencies greater power. If we want our freedoms and power back, we need to value freedom more than safety and our physical lives.

Be a Good Person

We complain about our dysfunctional politicians and law enforcement and despair about how it won’t change. However, we voted in these politicians who shaped law enforcement. Our values are reflected in who we voted for. Sometimes we make compromises in voting, but we can work to make a better voting process.

First, we need to be good citizens. When we strive to be civil and loving toward one another, we tend to police ourselves. Thus, reducing the need for police. We need to respect each others’ agency. Some of us fall into the desire to control the other side or shut down speech through shaming and name-calling.

The US needs an honest and open dialogue to improve our nation. We need to respect each other, though we may disagree. All speech needs to be allowed; shutting down any speech hurts the process. Even bad speech produces more speech. Allowing open dialogue creates a marketplace of ideas. When we have multiple ideas, we have more options to solve problems.

Just Vote

During the 2016 presidential election, only 55% of registered voters voted in the United States. This was the lowest turnout in 20 years. That means 45% of the country didn’t vote for President. What if the other 45% had voted? What would be the difference then? Statistically, it would probably be the same, but we will never know. More citizens got the memo for the 2020 election which had a record voter turnout of 67%.

People have marched, fought, or died to have the right to vote. Why should we take that for granted?

Research Candidates

Sometimes US citizens are lazy voters. We only vote based on name recognition or party lines. We don’t research candidates to know what they believe personally. Then we are surprised when politicians betray our expectations. Like how Biden flubbed the Afghanistan troop withdrawal.

I find it sad that we feel like we have to vote for a certain candidate because of the political party they represent. We vote for a party, and not for the individual’s merits. The reasoning is to have a voting bloc in the legislature. But the party candidate can sometimes be scum. Our attitude of distrusting politicians derives partly from voting for dishonest candidates simply because they boost party numbers.

We need to vote for the individual. This way we vote FOR someone. If people voted for the individual, I believe we would trust our politicians more. Perhaps we’d elect better people.

A candidate that fits your political position may be in a different party or an Independent. Research your options.

Ranked-Choice Voting

Much of the disillusionment of voting is because we don’t feel that our vote really matters. It was disheartening when the 2020 major-party Presidential candidates represent the fringes of the party and not the mainstream of the parties. This is how it felt with the 2016 election too. We didn’t have people who really represented America. Many settled for the lesser of two evils, as so many of my friends and family mourned in 2016 and 2020.

But why do we have to settle for our vote? We aren’t limited to only two parties or even any party. If people really voted for who they wanted, I believe our elections would be different.

Our current voting system is all-or-nothing, but ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum. Ranked-choice allows for the voter to list their choices by first, second, third, etc. Whatever candidate has the most overall support wins. Ballotpedia explains ranked-choice voting much better than I can, so follow the link for more information. This system makes voting for a third party more effective.

Local Elections

Many times we feel that we only need participate in the national elections. They feel more important, but it is our city, county, and state elections that have more impact on our daily lives. We need a high turnout for those to make a real difference.

The law enforcement agencies we usually interact with are local police. This is where we gain most of our impressions of police outside of the news. Who we choose for mayor, city council, county sheriff, county officials, and so on have direct relationships with our law enforcement. They are the ones passing local ordinances and doing the funding, training, hiring, and firing of police officers.

Vote in the Primaries

Utah leans more Republican than Democrat outside of Salt Lake City and Park City, thus the Republican primaries usually determine who will win Utah elections. I know several liberal Utahns who are registered Republicans for this reason. So vote in primary elections so the process involves more than one wing of a party.

Nix Party Affiliation for Local Elected Positions

In 2014, several bills circulated in Utah Congress to allow state and local school board candidates to be affiliated with political parties. Some Utahns fought this politicization among the State Board of Education because it would create divisions in the Board. We needed individuals who value education more than party platforms.

I disagree with political affiliation in local elections because the populace can get to know candidates through local events. Many citizens already know or know of the local candidates. Overall, citizens don’t need the shorthand of political party affiliation to know their local candidates. Besides, it can divide the community.

Split Electoral College Votes

To truly make that change for who we feel would best represent us, we need to vote. It seems like a long shot sometimes, but every vote counts. Only in the Presidential election do votes not have as much power. We can make changes with our state laws to increase the power of the vote with the electoral college. For example, Nebraska and Maine allow their electoral votes to be split among candidates. This allows for a better representation of the minority. This way the political minority would feel more emboldened to vote in the Presidential election.

I disagree with abolishing the electoral college for three reasons. First, the US is a representative democracy. Second, smaller states, and more rural areas, retain more of their representation with this system. Third, Alexander Hamilton argued in Federalist Paper No. 68 the electoral college will yield a more "successful" Presidential candidate.

The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States.

-Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 68

Prevent Gerrymandering

Republicans and Democrats are guilty of splitting their congressional districts to represent one side or the other. These unfair boundaries undermine our democratic republic. As a result, political minorities feel disenfranchised by this manipulation.

In Utah, the congressional districts carve up the Democratic base of Salt Lake County. Democrats in Salt Lake County feel disenfranchised voting in Utah, as one relative related. Thus, we have weird geometrical shapes, especially the Congressional Fourth district where I live. It covers part of Salt Lake, Utah, and Juab counties. This has created animosity within the district where it is about half Republican and half Democrat. For example, the 2018 election had increased animosity in ads between Mia Love and Ben McAdams. The animosity continued with the 2020 race between Burgess Owens and Ben McAdams.

After the 2020 census, Utah is redrawing the district maps with voter input. A board is exploring the ideas and will make a final decision soon. Hopefully, this nonpartisan committee will yield fairer boundaries.

Nix the Idea of Supporting a Party Because of Race

We have this notion that all Blacks and POC are Democrats and all White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) are Republicans. This simply isn’t true. Besides, it is prejudiced to say a certain race should be connected to a certain party. It may be true for a majority, but not ALL.

We see this symptom of prejudicial thinking in Joe Biden. In a video chat with Charlemagne Tha God, Biden stated, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”

This demonstrates a prejudicial and patronizing attitude toward Blacks. Treating Blacks like they are too dumb to vote independently and critically smacks of benign bigotry. Each Black person has individual opinions.

On the flip side, Republicans sometimes patronize White Evangelicals. Some candidates will espouse socially conservative positions though they themselves don’t believe in it.

Overall, a party that expects you to be their bread and butter vote based on a stereotype is highly prejudicial. The parties put less effort into addressing problems critically that affect that demographic and all Americans.

Avoid All-or-Nothing Voting Options

Some politicians promote all mail-in ballots or all in-person voting. Precincts and counties find it easier to stick with one method, but that disenfranchises voters with only one option.

In the 2018 election, Utah County initiated mail-in ballots being sent to everyone. As a result, they chose to have fewer ballot stations and ballot boxes. But some people and newly registered voters didn’t receive a mail-in ballot. Others waited to vote on Election Day. Many Utah County citizens stood in line for hours to vote when it usually takes less than an hour to vote on Election Day. As a result, former Governor Gary Herbert chided Utah County for the fiasco. The voting process in Utah County flowed more smoothly in 2020.

All in-person voting disenfranchises college students, missionaries, and military personnel. People who are temporarily away from their homes don’t have the opportunity to vote if in-person is the only option. Besides, mail-in ballots streamline the voting process. This requires fewer volunteers, time, and energy. In 2016, San Juan County saw an increase in absentee voting when they implemented mail-in ballots.

But mail-in voting disenfranchises voters who don’t have reliable postal service or are homeless. For example, San Juan county faced problems with voting on the Navajo reservation when they switched to mail-in ballots in 2016. Many Navajos in the Navajo Nation don’t have normal addresses, thus making mail-in ballots less viable. Some on the Navajo reservation would have to drive one to three hours to vote in the county seat, Monticello, Utah. San Juan County officials belatedly opened voting stations on the reservation. This relieved the problem some.

San Juan County officials have faced lawsuits and redistricting from the 2016 election. Some say the redistricting was unfair to Blanding residents, while others say it was fairer to Navajo residents. Blanding, with a population of 3700, was split into three precincts. I feel there could have been a better solution to help both sides than what the judge decided for my hometown and home county. Sadly, this has resulted in negative feelings among San Juan County residents.

More Hope for the Election Process

I propose these ideas to give citizens and politicians ideas to improve and promote voting. So many voters feel disillusioned. With my proposed ideas, I feel citizens will have more hope in the voting process. They will more likely vote. This is how change happens in democracies, especially when faced with unfair laws.

This piece previously appeared on my blog and Medium page in June 2020. It has been updated to include the 2020 election. I wrote this in response to George Floyd's murder and the subsequent protests and riots.

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