The tired adjective referencing “unprecedented” times we are living in holds a lot of weight as we approach a much anticipated Election Day. Although people have been voting for well over a month now through a myriad of ways, the day itself is incredibly important to our nation’s values — despite obvious challenges — and the issues at stake this year, in particular.
Given the lack of voter turnout in this country and the general sense of voter apathy nationwide, the push to vote is the strongest it has ever been. Our foundation as a country was built on the ability for citizens to be able to voice their concerns through their vote. It’s not only your right but your duty to vote. In order to play a part in creating history, you must uphold that duty.
This may be one of the most crucial elections we will ever endure. The amount of national attention around both campaigns encouraging citizens to vote should be reason enough to recognize how much your vote matters.
Pennsylvania specifically is a state to watch, as it holds a lot of weight in the Electoral College and is incredibly up in the air in terms of which candidate will win it. The state’s 20 electoral votes will be crucial as Pennsylvania remains one of just a handful states truly considered to be a battleground. President Donald Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state since 1988, and though Democratic nominee Joe Biden appears to be ahead in the polls, his lead isn’t much more than Hillary Clinton’s was four years ago.
Very few parts of the country are still in a state of limbo. If anything, it’s important to recognize the weight of your vote here and its impact on a nationwide level. Northampton County in particular is capable of swaying the entire state. The New York Times attributes this variability to the candidates’ focus on manufacturing jobs given Bethlehem Steel’s impact throughout the area’s history.
The issues on the ballot are incredibly pressing and how certain issues are handled now will shape the future both for our lives and for many generations to come. Granting citizens access to health care, managing environmental changes as well as dismantling centuries’ worth of racial privilege in order to treat all, specifically Black, Americans as though their lives matter are all on the docket.
That is why it’s all the more important to learn specifically about each candidate’s stance about what is important to you personally. Trying to pick apart each issue and each character flaw on either side will only send you on a tailspin of confusion and frustration. It is impossible to love a candidate wholeheartedly.
Get introspective and ask yourself what your chief concerns are. Four years from now, what do you want progress in that area to look like? Vote for that change, for what you want to see and for the candidate who will champion that cause in the way you want.
This is your opportunity to vote on your priorities. Act on it.
This doesn’t just have to be at the national level. There are a handful of issues within your own backyard that have more weight in your day-to-day life than you may realize. In fact, it’s likely your state legislature that is setting your property taxes, or determining your school funding formula or debating whether or not to raise the minimum wage. It’s your city council that can choose to redevelop your downtown responsibly or take a stance on environmental issues.
While it is crucial to be an active citizen and participate in the electoral process, your involvement and concern needs to continue beyond Nov. 3. We recognize how difficult it can be to stay up-to-date with constantly changing issues in a rather negative news cycle. Quite honestly, it can bog us down and seem incessant. But that doesn’t mean that after this week it’s time to tap out.
Staying informed and engaged is the only way to ensure that public officials follow through on their commitments to what matters to you. What you voted for.
While we want to see big changes in a short amount of time, it’s more practical and ultimately more prudent to make incremental steps toward a better future at each turn. It is definitely the more difficult route, but it is all the more worthwhile.
Go vote.
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