“I Voted” stickers are some of the most important little scraps of paper and glue, in my opinion. They’re tiny in size but massive in power. Voting is our superpower. Voting is how we turn up in the world. Voting is how we stand with and for our values, with and for our neighbors.
Different jurisdictions have different rules/laws around taking selfies in or near voting places or whatnot, but the “I voted” stickers can be universal. Always follow all local rules for sure.
Within those bounds, I’m a believer that we should wear those “I Voted” stickers because you never know who you’ll remind. You’ll never know who might inspire.
As this little blog post is posted on November 2, TOMORROW is election day. If you haven’t voted yet and you are eligible please close this website now and go do it. THEN come back and read more.
But here’s the thing I’d like you to think about after you vote, after you see the results, after you celebrate or don’t as per your personal feelings. Do not let voting be your only involvement in politics.
As you may know, I’m a bit of a word nerd. The word “politics” is kind of a dirty word in many circles in modern society, but I want to reclaim it. Politics simply means “concerning the health of the city/polis” In ancient Greece, city was the basic unit of government so we can translate that to county, state, nation, township, village, whatever you like.
So are you concerned with how we organize our village? Do you ...
- Think it’s important to think about how we as a county choose to spend the resources we have?
- Care about whether the state chooses to fund health care for the most vulnerable among us or do you have other priorities?
- Have thoughts about how YOUR resources should be spent?
Then you’re into politics.
Do not let this happen only every two years.
Contact your elected officials and tell them what you think about things that are important to you. They WANT to know. They NEED to know. Tell your mayor what is good about your town. Tell your state rep what you think should be priorities for state government. Today. Next week. Next month. When we’re NOT in “election season.” You matter. Your opinions matter. Nobody can take it away from you if you choose to use it.
Seth Moland-Kovash
