Voting In 2020

I was going to blog (yet again) about blueberries today, but I changed my mind. Voting is suddenly (these past few weeks) in the news, big time.

At one time not that long ago, we despaired at low voter turnout.  People just weren't that interested in voting, it seems.  But then things changed. 

Now, we may well have record turnouts, except that we are in the midst of a pandemic, and wondering how we can vote and not get sick.  This has led to a cascade of events that could not have been foreseen even six months ago.  The post office has suddenly become a center of focus, along with the right to vote by mail.  There's something a little different I want to focus on today, though.

I think most of us are aware that, when our country was created, more than half its residents did not have the right to vote.  Even today, there are still efforts to disenfranchise people.

Every person who can possibly exercise their right (their duty, really) to vote this November needs to be able to do this.

This original post (with edits) is from November of 2018, with some edits, but it retains its truth today.

Why must we vote in November?   All our votes are important, but, my please consider this:

Consider this ballot box.

Consider the small crowd that gathered in the village of Lisle, New York on June 1, 2018 (some of them descendants of a certain woman).

Consider what happened in the building to the right on January 5, 1918.  The building is vacant now, but history happened here 100 years ago.

Perhaps this newspaper will make you wonder.

This may help you guess.

It's hard to believe, but 102 years ago, women in New York State still did not have the right to vote.  In fact, the first woman to vote in New York State voted on January 5, 1918, in the building you see above.

Her vote was placed into the above unassuming box.  You know, Januaries tend to be harsh around here, with lots of snow and cold.  Someone at the ceremony to dedicate this sign told me it was 20 below zero F the day Florence B. Chauncey voted.

Mrs. Chauncey was the wife of a local minister, and the election was to determine if Lisle would be "dry" or not (i.e. no alcohol sales permitted).

She fought for the right to vote, yet never told her children she was the first women to vote in New York State.  But she always asked them, once they were adults "did you vote?"  Because she knew how precious that right was - the right she had to fight for.  Along with many other women, some of whom ended up in prison for the "crime" of voting.

I thank certain dedicated women (and men) of the early 20th century, who fought for my right to vote.  It wasn't just to vote for banning (or not banning) liquor.  It was voting for President.  For Congress.  For local and national leaders.  I never take that right for granted.

The 1918 1920 Presidential election that came after the above election - keep this in mid - came right after another pandemic, one which ended up killing millions of people worldwide.

People of color also had to win their right to vote, and win it, again and again.
Now, we are at another crisis point in our nation's history.  I fully expect the coronavirus to still be with us on November 3.  We have a great number of problems to overcome just to be able to have good, safe and secure ways to vote on November 3.

Now, and in November, the future of our country depends on you.  And me.  All of us.  Men and women, of all skin colors and ethnic origins, although I'm talking mainly about women today.  In most cases, if you aren't a white male, those who went before us had to fight for that right. Please, don't turn your back on that right or make choices that aren't thoughtfully considered.

To quote the late Brent Taylor, who died fighting for his country in Afghanistan:

"As the USA gets ready to vote in our own election .... I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote. And that whether the Republicans or the Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us."

Remember: even one vote can determine the course of history.  Might it be your vote?  And with that, the crux of the matter:

Let's make sure this election can happen, and that it will reflect the will of the people. Keep yourself informed on the election, but equally, stay informed regarding your ultimate right to vote.