by Richard O’Dell
County Chair
Freestone County Democrats
The election cycle for 2020 has now officially begun. The candidates have until December 9th to file their paperwork and then we, the hoi polloi, can watch campaign signs sprout and reproduce in yards and fields across the county. I recently read several different articles on what the average person could do to make the election weeks and months more interesting, fulfilling and, shall we say, bearable? There seemed to be several concepts that were repeated in various places.
Naturally, the first thing that every author said to do was to vote. Plan on voting and realize that your vote does make a difference. If one candidate wins over another by three million votes, it may not seem like your single ballot counted. But it did. In our history, we have examples of one vote counting. For instance, Rutherford B Hayes won the presidency over Samuel Tilden by one vote. And John Quincy Adams won his election over Andrew Jackson by one vote. Voting is an exercise in freedom and strengthens the voice that we have as residents of a republic. Throughout history, people all over the globe looked to America with pride, envy, and hope. To really be a part of our freedoms, we have to vote and we must work to make sure that the marginalized are not denied that same privilege.
A second thing I found in the articles was the admonition to educate ourselves. There is no longer any excuse for not knowing what the issues are and how to get involved. If you don’t know what RSS is, you can simply set up a Google News alert to notify you when a story in your area of interest comes along. There are also many new direct democracy sites, like You2Gov springing up to help you. I find it very frustrating to hear people mention the fact that they don’t follow the candidates or what they stand for. I see that as a blight on their citizenship. We need to know what is happening. But, the correlation that goes with that is the fact we must be prudent in where we get our information. I can listen to you tell me about the good or the bad of this or that legislation but then when you tell me that is what your mother’s gardener’s cousin heard it on some news feed, you have just lost me. I do not know when we became a nation of sycophants mindlessly digesting what someone else told us to believe and then regurgitating it back to friends and neighbors as if it were our own thoughts and beliefs. Find your credible news sources and use them to begin the thought process. Start down the road of self-realization in each of the major issues of the day. What do I believe and Why? Do I believe that this man or that woman would be best for America because of their beliefs and visions or because of the familiarity of their name, or the fact that my best friend likes them, or because of the party they belong to?
Moving to another idea, I found that I should have an ongoing dialogue with my representatives. Call your elected officials. Their numbers are easy to find, and yes, someone will answer the phone. It is amazing how many people don’t know who their elected representative is and what their voting record is for the current term. Our Senators and our Congressional representative should know us almost as well as we know them. Write to them. Call them. Ask how they feel about this bill or how they voted on another piece of legislation. We elect them to go to Austin or to Washington and do our work for us. Let’s hold them accountable for that. Several congressmen have mentioned to me that the only time they hear from their constituents is when they want to complain about something. Otherwise, they never write or call. A little “thank you” would go a long way.
The last thing that I found was the challenge to us to run for office. Many government careers began when someone ran for vice-president of the school board, or local alderman or sheriff or constable. Find a position that involves something that you are concerned about and go after that office As one of our presidents said:
The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests.
Woodrow Wilson
Our government is our government and we should be a part of it. We as Americans must vote, must educate ourselves, and must run for office. It is a shame that we think that two things that we should never discuss at dinner or with friends are religion and politics. Why? Both are vital parts of our lives and we should be able to discuss them, not argue them.
This election cycle, why not pick one of these suggestions that these connoisseurs of government shared with their readers and let it become a part of your life. Everyone should vote. If you are not registered to vote yet, you have until February 3rd to register, Watch for registration events hosted by both political parties around the area. The next primary election in March and the general election next November are looking to be interesting ones. Let’s make it more personal by being involved, each at our own level.
