I love stickers. As a child and, if I’m being honest, as an adult, nothing has quite motivated me like the promise of a sparkling, colorful, sticky sticker that I can plaster over my planners and refrigerator. Maybe that’s why I was so excited to vote as a youngster. My little patriotic heart was thrilled at the possibility of not only fulfilling my civic duty and supporting the future of “the Greatest nation on earth” but also getting a pristine “I voted!” sticker to display proudly over my pure American-born-and-bred heart.
And now I have my chance. I’ve registered, paid my taxes, and stayed in the good graces of my government, and now I have my shot. To vote in the presidential elections of the good ol’ US of A. I’ve voted before for mayors and governors and school board representatives. But this is my chance to put a face to my great country. To declare to the world what I believe America stands for. To relight my patriotic fire and scream from the rooftops the national anthem that has been drilled into my brain and carved into my heart.
The only problem is I don’t want a sticker anymore. That once beautiful, ovoid, sticky certification of American duty is now nothing more to me than a small bit of plastic full of false hope, whose only real destiny is to be trampled under the boot of some traveler come December. Maybe that is too pessimistic, but as a first time voter it’s my truth. And that’s what you came here for, right? The thoughts of a first time voter. They’re not great.
I’m never sure how to begin this conversation. Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I grimace. People will ask me if I’m proud to be an American or if I’m excited to vote this year, and I always want to ask, “Are you?” Because if you are, you are not paying attention.
That’s not to say that America is the sole nation in the world with problems. Every country, state, and city – every place has problems. And we spend an awful lot of time critiquing those problems whilst ignoring our own which is why today, here and now, I’m not talking about the rest of the world. I’m talking about our world. My world. And how I can hear it crumbling around my very ears.
When I was young, I was taught like every other child that my government was good and just and fair. That our system of checks and balances kept us from corrupting ourselves. That our president was not only someone we could love and trust, but that they were the defender of the Free World itself, and this was the greatest honor an American could have.
And I know there are those within our borders and outside of them that still fight for these ideals. I know there are politicians working day and night to ensure that these ideas come to fruition. There are soldiers giving their lives in an effort to make them true, and there are Americans trying to prove to the world there is still good left in us. I also know we have failed them. And we continue to fail them even as Election Day, arguably the day that these ideals should be at their fullest, draws nearer.
Election Day is supposed to be a day of celebration. We have a new leader, a new era, a new opportunity. A day I am supposed to look to with anticipation is something that I instead look to with dread. I know it will not be a day of unity but instead a reminder of our division. No matter the result, either blue or red will curse the name of the other, and those left in the shuffle will be reminded of their powerlessness. We will spend the next four years at each other’s throats, blaming the other side for any trivial inconveniences that may arise. We will protest and riot. We will further our growing division until any progress becomes so impossible we all grind to a halt. We will blame the Democrats for a faltering economy and the Republicans for a lapse in rights when, in reality, both have and continue to contribute to the destruction of life and liberty. Because both refuse to come to the table with a compromise or with an acknowledgment that no matter the color of your party, you are a human being. Because of all the things that divide us, that one thing unites us. And it is what we should all be fighting for. So yes, I dread Election Day…because it will be yet another day of anger and vengeance rather than one of unity and compromise.
I wonder sometimes how we have strayed so far. It seems to me when I scroll through my news feed, watch debates, and read proclamations, that we have forgotten the first lessons we were taught as young children. We were taught to compromise, to voice our needs, and listen to others. We were taught kindness and compassion. We were taught to share so that everyone had what they needed and no one was left behind. Those who failed to do these things were seen as immature and selfish. I laugh now as I look at our political landscape because I do not see these values and behaviors we were taught in our early stages of life. I see a regression to our toddler-like behavior of yelling, screaming, and blaming. How have we forgotten such basic and core lessons? When did we lose them? And can we ever get them back?
These questions and concerns swirl through my mind as I wait, anxiously, for Election Day. My mind, hopes, and fears dart between two candidates. I know that if I vote for any candidate not associated with red or blue, my vote will likely fall flat. I wonder what a world with an independent as our president would be like.
I want a president who is kind and compassionate. Who puts careful thought into each of their actions and thinks not only of their people but the people of the world. I want a president who seeks absolute unity across Americans, who is willing to set aside personal thought and belief to listen to the needs and desires of their opposite. To truly understand what they’re saying, read between the lines, and come to an understanding. A president who does not spread blame or deceit but instead gives out love and compassion. Who admits to wrongdoings, both past and present, and dedicates their presidency to fixing them. I want a president who searches the country for diverse representation and tries their very best to incorporate as many walks of life as possible within their government. I want a president who knows they cannot fix everything in four years but lays the foundation so that others may follow in their footsteps. Who works with the next elected official to ensure that the transition is not one of jealousy but of congratulations and assistance. I want a president who looks beyond our borders for solutions and advice, who seeks guidance and counsel from other countries who have faced similar obstacles and overcome them successfully. A president who knows they do not have to do this alone and who knows that connection, support, and love are the true keys to success.
Would they be able to do this? To fulfill these needs? Would they be able to recognize that we don’t have time for these pointless squabbles that have become the basis for politics today? Because it’s true…we don’t have time.
We are dying. Our economies falter. Our environment, whether we believe we are the cause or not, IS failing. We are killing each other with little more than a glance, and we are building weapons to ensure we can do it faster. We are dying by our own hand as a mental health crisis plagues every square foot of our country. We are starving, exhausted, too weak to seek help but too desperate to give up. We blame each other for our troubles, going so far as to shoot each other in desperate efforts to fix them because we have become so lost that we see no other way out. Our children are hungry, our elderly are sick, and our young generations are saddled with the responsibility of fixing it all.
We don’t have time to bicker or point fingers. We don’t have time to draw more lines, to exclude more people, or find more scapegoats. Every day, our doomsday draws nearer, and we are so busy kicking each other in the shins and forcing blame that we are oblivious to it. We are a ticking time bomb, and we are too busy trying to find out who’s to blame for lighting the fuse that we won’t even focus on diffusing it.
And you have told me that my vote can fix it all. But it can’t. Because our problem is so much bigger than a party or an election. So if you want to know the thoughts of a first time voter…they are grim. They are terrified, and they are desperate. And they are so beyond heartbroken.
This is not the America I want to vote for. I do not want to vote out of desperation; I want to vote out of patriotism. I do not want to vote for an old white man who is old enough to raise reasonable doubt in his abilities to run a country or one who is controversial in every sense of the word. I want to vote for a diverse group of candidates with different ideas and willingness to combine them. This is not the America I want to vote for, and this is not the America I know we can be.
Despite everything I have written and I feel…I do believe in the American people. I believe in them because they saw a world that wasn’t working, and they put forth a completely new system. And I know they can do it again (albeit this time, I call upon us to respect those who lay claim to this land before us and that we rebuild our nation with a handshake and not an army). I know we can build a nation founded on true freedom rather than freedom that is limited to only those we deem worthy. I know we can build a nation founded on justice, true justice that seeks equity, equality and healing over vengeance and retribution. I know we can build a nation that has the power to acknowledge its wrongs instead of sweeping them under the rug or erasing them from our history books. A nation that has the power to apologize and put every effort into empowering those we have wronged. That has the power to move forward with the goal of always improving, always learning, and always adapting. The American people are resilient, strong, and down right stubborn. I call upon us to use these qualities to build a nation of love, politics of compassion, and a foundation of unity.
Still, I will cast my vote this Election Day. I will cast it alongside millions of others just like me. First time voters who recognize that we are a new generation with new thoughts, ideas, and goals. First time voters will have the knowledge that if this election fails us, we will one day be the ones occupying the seat of power, and we can enact the change we once desired and failed to receive. To those running for office, I challenge you to release us from this responsibility. Stand with us. Work with us. Sit beside us and listen to our words so that we are not forced to build this new world alone. I want nothing more than to hold your hand into my future…but I can only do that if you are willing to turn to me and take my hand first. I am reaching — meet me halfway.
To my fellow Americans, I ask you to enter this Election Day with compassion. Challenge your anger and your fear, and aim instead to understand and to compromise. I want a future where the world looks at us and smiles because we dug our way out of division and emerged as the great nation we so proudly boast we are. I urge you to cast your vote this November and please…cast it with care.