Your vote is your voice, so speak up!

I know many older adults who honestly feel they aren’t heard, aren’t listened to. That can feed a deeper sense of having nothing of value to offer anyone anymore. To which I respectfully say: phooey! This dip into the powerless swamp doesn’t have to happen. I could go many directions with that statement. But today I want to focus our attention on one of the basic rights in our American society: voting.

The sense that voting isn’t worth the effort shows up in a number of excuses I’ve heard in recent days. Excuses, not valid reasons: “My vote doesn’t make a difference,” “Idaho is a red state, and I vote blue, so why vote?,” “I don’t even know who to vote for or what is on the ballot”; etc.

See what I mean? Excuses can be turned with some simple attitude-adjustments. Every person’s vote can make a significant difference (primaries around the country have shown narrow vote-counts many times in 2018).

Yes, Idaho is a red state, and will stay that way unless apathetic blue votes speak up. You blue voters might be surprised, as would be red voters. (This is not a partisan statement, simply a strategic observation by someone who votes for persons, not a party.)

Unawareness of who is running or what issues are on the ballot can easily be fixed if a person chooses to fix his/her unawareness. The voting voice will remain silent if you choose not to train your voice to speak!

I recently read a letter-to-the-editor about voting in another newspaper. The writer closed by saying “Not voting is a way to show disgust but gives your power to those who do vote.” We stay powerless on public matters when we stay silent. Voting gives our voices more volume!

Why am I speaking of voting in mid-September? Because the General Election on Nov. 6 is only seven weeks away, and it’s time to tune up our voices. For some of us, that tune-up could take some time.

So next Tuesday, Sept. 25, the Geezer Forum gives folks a good chance to think about our voting privilege — but not only from the usual way we think of voting. Instead of being a candidate forum, or an issues forum, we’re having a “voting motivation forum.”

Our topic is “why we vote matters.” Some people are very passionate about voting. Some people are very apathetic about voting. Our overall voting percentages in Bonner County aren’t that great, folks! WHY is voting such a privilege for some and a dreaded chore for others?

I certainly don’t have all the answers. And you won’t get all the answers on September 25. But if you join us at the Community Room of Columbia Bank, 2:30-4:00 p.m., you join your voice with others to consider WHY you choose to participate or not participate in the voting process.

I will moderate the forum that also includes a panel of three other citizens: Shawn Keough and Ken Meyers, both political activists in our county, plus Charlie Wurm, Bonner County Elections supervisor. We will offer nuts-and-bolts information about voting. But our main emphasis is a group conversation about WHY we vote matters. It is an individual act that can have significant community-building implications. Please join us on Tuesday, September 25!

Paul Graves, M.Div., is lead geezer-in-training for Elder Advocates, a consulting ministry on aging. Contact Paul at 208-610-4971 or elderadvocates@nctv.com.