How To Vote

Corbrera d’Ebre, #78, Tarragona, Spain, 2020

“The only path forward for the survival of our species and perhaps even our planet is a path of nonviolence, of contemplation and action prioritizing justice and solidarity, an affirmation of Oneness and the interconnectedness of all things, which science confirms, and spirituality has always known on its deepest level.” —Thomas Keating (1923-2018)

How To Vote???                                                       

No, I’m not going to tell you which candidate(s) to vote for–not directly, anyway. He…he…

But I will start out by giving you some advice if you are a first-time voter and are headed to the polls tomorrow. These are things I wish I had been told when I voted for the first time way back in ’76.

Advice To First-Time Voters

–There is often a lot on the ballot–not just the President. This can be intimidating. No worries, just vote for the people and issues you know about and skip the rest. If all you vote for is the President and the Vice (or their electors, that is), that’s OK.

–Rather than just vote for Prez, though, consider coming prepared. Thus the next few suggestions…

–Counties will often distribute a “Voter’s Guide” covering all the candidates and issues. This is a good starting place to see what will be on the ballot.

–What will actually be on YOUR particular ballot will depend on where you are registered to vote. Your state, your congressional district, your county, your city, your school district, even your special districts (fire, art, energy, irrigation, etc.)… they will all have different issues and and candidates from what you might find on your friend’s ballot who is voting in the next state over.

–Another way people vote is by looking at endorsements. If you like certain newspapers or magazines (New York Times, The Boulder Weekly, Mother Jones, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Mad, etc.), or you support certain organizations (Sierra Club, NRA, AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood, KKK, etc.), take a look at who they have endorsed. Most will publish (online or in print form) a list of endorsements that you could use as a guide.

–Finally, if you are a dedicated Democrat or Republican, you could simply vote a “straight ticket” (by party) on any selection that has the two options: D or R.

How do I know if I should vote Democrat or Republican?

Simple.

Vote Republican if…

…you have always voted Republican no matter what and don’t want to think critically beyond that (it’s my tribe, dammit!)… you support autocratic government… if you support having leaders who lie and foment division and violence… if you are a very manly (or womenly) misogynist or admire those who are… if you think COVID-19 is a complete hoax… if you think climate change is a Democratic hoax… if you think the libs are coming to get your guns… if you trust what comes over your Facebook news feed or the email your buddy forwarded to you more than the major news organizations… if you refuse to fact check for fear of finding out the truth… if you only trust Fox, Hannity, Carlson, and Limbaugh for your information… if you make over $400,000 a year… if you support corporate and big-ag welfare (but oppose a social safety net for the marginalized)… if you have secretly admired Hitler and Mussolini… if you want to “own the libs” even if it is against your interests and will cause you economic pain… if you support right-to-life for the unborn but no one else… if you think women should be kept barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen (where you can easily find them to grab their pussy)… if you prefer Putin and Kim Jong-un to NATO and western alliances… if you think might always makes right and even more might is more right… if you think it is good moral US policy to break up families pursuing asylum in this country and keep children in cages… if you think our soldiers are losers and suckers… if you don’t believe in science… if you believe horses and buggies, oil, gas, and coal are the future forever… if you love a good conspiracy theory… if you think middle class workers should have to hold down two or three jobs to make ends meet… if you don’t need (nor will ever need) health care… if you think we should jail and/or shoot our domestic political opposition… then vote Republican!

OK. I could go on, but you get the picture.    

Vote Democrat if…

…you prefer democratic government… you believe climate change is a real threat to our future… if you support diversity in leadership that reflects our country’s demographics… if you want highly-qualified, well-vetted, and experienced leaders in charge of our government’s departments… if you want decent, affordable health care… if you want your ballot to count as much as anyone else’s in future elections… if you believe in science… if you believe it is wrong to treat folks badly due to their gender, their sexual orientation, their race, or their religion… if you believe in justice for all regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion… if you believe our country is stronger when we build alliances with other countries… if you believe in a decent minimum wage… if you believe Wall Street, big banks, and big corportations should be regulated to avoid a repeat of 2008… if you believe the very rich ($400,000 and up) and large companies should be taxed more to reduce the problem of extreme inequality in our society… if you believe the middle and working classes should not have to pay a higher proportion of their income in taxes than the rich… if you believe our country could use a good public works project to upgrade our infrastructure… if you believe in a free and quality public education for all… if you believe immigration actually makes our country stronger… if you support and honor our troops and believe international military alliances enhance our security… if you believe the best way to reduce the number of abortions as well as empower women is through easily accessible family planning… if you believe we need to move, over time, to more sustainable energy sources… if you believe we need to deal with the pandemic seriously in order to open the economy safely… then vote Democrat!

Now, hoist your fanny perpendicular and go vote!!!