It’s election morning, and as soon as the plumber gets here I’ll be heading off to vote. Most often I vote by mail, but this Election Day coincides with the installation of a new walk-in shower, which will save me and my even more aging husband from the acrobatic exercise of clamboring over our high, old fashioned albeit classic claw-foot tub and probably save some broken bones down the road. So I knew for sure I was going to be around today, and when I can, I prefer to vote in person, for the energy and the sense of community seeing others do the same.
I plan to vote Yes on California Proposition 50, and I’m hoping masses of others do as well. It seems likely to pass, and I’m hoping it will pass by a big, big margin. So if you llive in California and haven’t voted yet, please do! Proposition 50 will allow us to temporarily adjust our House Districts to counter the partisan gerrymandering being done in Texas and other Red states, and aid us in taking back the House next year. That would give Democrats power to rein in Trump’s excesses and thwart his autocratic takeover.
It’s a Proposition that was crafted with integrity. Governor Newsom decided to put it to a vote of the people rather than simply doing it by decree, and it’s temporary: in 2030, we revert back to our Independent Redistricting Commission. Hopefully, by that time we’ll have turned things around and can pass Federal laws that require the same fair process in all states, and secure our voting rights.
If you’re in New Jersey, I hope you either already have or are going to vote for Mikie Sherrill. If you’re in Virginia, I hope you’re voting for Abigail Spanberger. We need Democratic governors who can do quite a lot to mitigate the ravages of the MAGAts. And we need to send a strong message to all of Trump’s enablers that their policies are not winning ones!
If I were in New York City, you can bet I’d be voting for Zohran Mamdani! First, for what he is—a young progressive filled with creative ideas and buoyant energy, with a track record of standing up for justice. He radiates charisma and warmth—I’m convinced that he likes me, even though he doesn’t know me! But here’s a take from Rosalind Petcheskiy, a Jewish bubbe who does know him!
Second, I’d be voting for Mamdani because of I’d not be voting for! A Republican, or a sexual harasser ramping up an Islamophobic smear campaign…
Here’s Starhawk’s Easy Election Guide:
1) Do Not Vote for Republicans!
There used to be some who had policies I abhor, but who have personal integrity. However, they seem to be a lost and dying breed. In this highly polarized climate, Republicans are going to do Trump’s bidding. The cure is simply to not to give them any power at all.
2) Do Not Vote for Sexual Predators!
It doesn’t matter if they’re Republicans, as most of them seem to be, or Democrats, who also have a few. Someone who is credibly accused of sexual harassment or worse is not going to be good for you, regardless of your gender, age, or level of sex appeal. Why? Because that behavior doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It identifies someone who is unconscious of others’ needs or who doesn’t care, who has no respect for the rights and needs of others, disrespects boundaries, and inherently selfish. Such people do not govern well.
3) Do Not Vote for Those Who Inflame Fear and Prejudice!
Whether its Islamophobia, as Cuomo is doing, or fear of immigrants, or blatant racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or any of the dogwhistles, someone who will go after one targeted group will go after another—and that could be you. Also, these attacks are a signal that they have nothing positive to offer.
4) Voting Matters! So Do Vote!
Truthfully, in my circle of friends there are few if any who are likely to vote Republican, but there are more who simply don’t vote at all, or dismiss elections with a shrug saying “Both parties are the same.” Well, both parties have their flaws but if you think they’re the same, I know 40 million people who are about to lose their health care who can attest to the fact that they are not. I can show you hungry children, unpaid federal workers, researchers seeing a lifetime’s work flushed down a golden toilet, asylum seekers rotting in gulags… I could go on and on but you know all that! No, they are not the same, and there are real life consequences to which party holds power. Neither party is entirely made-up of the inspiring, visionary progressives I would like to see, but one party upholds our basic rights and the other is trying to destroy them.
Voting isn’t all we need to do, but it is vitally important, now more than ever. And if it doesn’t feel empowering to you, know that you don’t gain more power by throwing away such poser as you have, any more than you gain wealth by tossing out the contents of your bank account because it feels too meager. You gain power by using what you have and building on it. And we need power in order to remake the world!
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This post has been syndicated from Starhawk’s Substack, where it was published under this address.