Elections matter. All of them are supposed to be taken seriously and treated as sacred. I remember being in middle school and riding in the car with my Nana talking about voting. Oddly enough, our conversation is so memorable to me that I remember specifically going around Blackburn circle in Gloucester when she said she votes in every single election simply because there are millions of people around the world who do have that type of voice and millions have died to make sure that we continue to have that voice in America. From that conversation, I knew that I would be voting in every election I had a chance to vote in.
I kept that promise to myself. I have voted in every election since my 18th birthday. I have absentee balloted and everything to make sure my role in democracy was played. I take the process seriously and do proper research when making my selections. I have voted for Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Every election, big or small matters.
The 2018 midterm elections mattered more. Anybody with any understanding of eighth grade civics knows that a trifecta in the house, senate and White House means very little check on executive or legislative power or judicial confirmations. From 2016-2018, this was the case. In 2018, Democrats took the house by flipping 41 seats including many in traditionally conservative districts like ME-2.
This election mattered. In the fall of 2019, the Democrat led house launch an impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct surrounding a conversation with the Ukrainian President about military aid to Ukraine. Upon completing their bipartisan inquiry, the House Judiciary committee charged the President with two articles of impeachment. Article I on abuse of power and Article II on obstruction of Congress.
The allegation of Article I spells out that the President abused the power of his office to seek foreign assistance in his re-election by investigating his potential rival. The accusation alone is chilling. This is, obviously, not ok for the President to do. Americans must have faith that their elections are on the level and that their vote matters.
Despite the wealth of evidence that points towards the President’s wrong doing. He was acquitted of both Articles. It is worth noting though, for the first time in American History, a member of the President’s political party voted to remove him from office. Senator Mitt Romney casted a courageous vote that made Article I the only article ever to see votes to remove from the party of the White House. If you have not seen his moving speech on the Senate floor explaining his vote, I suggest you watch. His speech is powerful and should serve as a beacon of hope that the modern GOP may not entirely be devolving into a personality cult just yet (more on that in a later post).
To conclude this long post, elections matter. Had 2018 not had the voter turnout it did, the President would not have been held accountable for his Abuse of Power. Like I said before, there’s are serious times for democracy in America. Checks and Balances have never been more necessary. When you are considering what is right and wrong for what your elected officials are doing, start with your voice. Does the person you are electing care about what you have to say? Do they care about upholding their oath to the Constitution? Finally, when it comes time do the right thing, are they going to do it? I have hope knowing that both of my senators (Markey, Warren) and my congressman (Moultan) and the form Republican Presidential nominee (Romney) were willing to do so. Stay informed, stay active and never forget that our elections are sacred. Not everyone gets to have free and fair elections. Let us never have to experience what the other side is like.
I appreciate your time and consideration for the sake of democracy
-John
She's Worth It 