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From at least the age of 5, I remember going to the polling place with my parents on Election Day – packed into the car after my dad got home from work and then unloading into the basement of the Rollstone Congregational Church in Fitchburg, MA (also home to my Cub Scout pack). And while my parents took their turns voting and minding me and my brother, we’d take the opportunity to play with the sample ballot machine. The ballots were punch cards (of the infamous “hanging chad” variety), marked with a punch pin chained to the machine. At that young age, the object of my play was to put as many holes in the sample ballot as possible. But it also got me excited for the day when I could do it for real.
I credit the family outing atmosphere and the church basement with instilling in me some sense of the sacredness of voting. Over the years since, I’ve come to personally understand our practice of democracy as the civic, secular religion of the United States – the one act we owe to the ideal bigger than all of us. I’m not alone in this outlook. Two years ago, in his victory speech after winning a Georgia Senate seat, the Rev. Raphael Warnock said, “I often say that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children.” The polling place is the temple of democracy.
If only this attitude was shared by more people. When I finally got my chance to vote for real, I was stunned that my peers didn’t share my excitement. From friends in my circle, I heard variations of, “It doesn’t matter;” “Both sides are equally bad” – spoken with all the unearned cynicism an 18-year-old can muster. Voter turnout numbers suggest that attitude is still somewhat prevalent, and even though 2020 saw the highest percentage of voter turnout since tracking began in 1932, it was still less than two thirds of the voting age population. The temple would like to see more attendance.
I’m probably preaching to the choir here. You are a politically active and dedicated people. But, much like a church, I believe more people will come to the temple if they’re invited by a friend. While you’re making your own voting plan in the coming weeks, consider reaching out to a friend on the fence. Offer to be a part of their voting plan with a ride to the polls or help obtaining a mail-in ballot. Bring your kids with you, or let them see you in action as you mark your ballot and drop it in the mail. Make it a matter of faith in action, a prayer for the world, as we affirm and promote the democratic process as one of our shared values.
Regardless of the outcome on Election Day. I’ll be holding space open in the church on Wednesday, November 6th, beginning at 9 a.m. for celebration and/or mourning and a chance to be together and process all the big feelings of the election season and our dreams for what comes next.
See you there.
John |
