Encouraging Candidate Forum

At today's neighborhood association meeting, several Democrats running for state representative in District 50 came to answer questions. (There is also a Republican running, but he is unopposed. I don't know if he was invited.)

It was actually nice. I'm not in District 50 (my part of the neighborhood is south of that district), and I have to say I'm so glad I don't have to choose between those folks. I would be thrilled to have any of the five who showed up win the election. (One Democrat didn't show up, but one of the folks who came said she'd been to over 40 of these types of meetings, and they all knew the other guy, so it's not like he never shows up.)

Every one of them was smart, passionate, caring, and had good ideas. Most or all of them are into the multi-pronged approach of having ideas, looking for commonalities across the aisle, and resisting when they have to. And they were nice to each other!

It's hard to explain just how touching I found all this. Like: our announcer said their names, and they stood up in that order as he said them, then got in line in that order, and then sat down in that order. No jockeying for position, no boring questions about where to sit, just common sense and efficiency. And they all followed the pattern the announcer had started for when it was their turn to answer a question.

Surprisingly, one said, and another confirmed, that Texas has more Democrats registered to vote than Republicans. What? How would you even know? Per https://independentvoterproject.org/voter-stats/tx, they mostly guess based on what primary you vote in. That same source specifies:
Total Registered Voters: 17,485,702
* Democrats: 8,133,683 (46.52%)
* Republicans: 6,601,189 (37.75%)
* Unaffiliated: 2,750,830 (15.73%)
And who even knew that many people voted in primaries?

One of the candidates also said there were Democrats running in every district. They aren't just giving up and not even trying, even in obviously Republican districts.

I don't want to get too hopeful. Beto made it so easy to feel hopeful, and then he lost! Although, as one candidate pointed out, there were a lot of wins lower on the ballot that year with all the judges we have to vote for in this state. And worse: the president, our governor, and the Republican party have all made it clear they will punish any Republicans who vote alongside Democrats, no matter how reasonable the issue. So that makes it extra hard to work out bipartisan compromises.

Still. Y'all, let's vote!

Why Vote?

I'd like to talk about my philosophies of voting. I feel like this is not talked about in school or many places at all, but I've spent a lot of time thinking of these issues and so maybe I'll say something useful. I think I'll organize it by concern.

Warning: I'm pretty left-wing on a lot of issues, but most of what I say applies to anyone who cares about how the country is run; and the rest can be translated into your own values. Plus, even if you disagree with me about everything, I still hope you vote. I want this to be a real democracy (okay, democratic republic) where everyone gets a say.

Complaint: They all stink.

Even if you feel like you're voting for the lesser of two evils, one of them is less evil. One of them will win, there's no getting around that, but you can add your voice for less evil.

Answer: The lesser evil is less evil.

Complaint: No, they're all the same.

They may all be corrupt, but are they corrupt on just one or two issues or on most of the issues? Does their corruption affect a few people or most people? Are the consequences bad or horrifying?

Answer: Don't be a single-issue voter.

As a test-scoring firm I worked for required: look at the preponderance of the evidence. Right now, one party is condoning war crimes in Israel, punishes success with higher taxes, wants to let women kill their own fetuses, and never prioritized the Epstein files when they had the chance. The other party wants to accelerate the climate crisis, encourage epidemics of diseases we have vaccines for, stick large numbers random brown people of all ages into inhumane prisons, twist our democracy into fascism, break our promises to our allies, and start World War III. Look at all your own top issues and look at the preponderance of the evidence to decide which candidates are your overall favorites.

Complaint: I'm a decent conservative.

This is a hard one. Vote in the primaries, either for the most decent Republicans or the most moderate Democrats. Then in the general election, plug your nose and vote for the lesser evil. Because you don't want the greater evil winning.

And then you can still communicate your wishes to whoever wins. You're still their constituent.

Answer: Vote in the primaries.

Complaint: My vote doesn't matter.

No, one vote is not likely to make a difference. On the other hand, your vote counts just as much as anyone else's does.* And if everyone like you decided not to vote, that would make a difference. This is the best way to make your voice heard--your comments and protests can be ignored, but your vote must be counted.

Also, your vote counts a lot more in local elections, and many good national ideas started at the local level.

Edited to add this idea from my brother: voting shows that you don't want your right to vote taken away. And also, voting shows the registrar that you're still in town--not voting through a couple of general elections and then not responding to postcards they send is one way that people get taken off the voting rolls.

Some people say if you don't vote, then you can't complain. (I disagree--we all deserve to complain about bad service and stupid ideas.) Still, you can think of voting as your ticket to comment.

*Okay, your vote does count less if you're voting in a district gerrymandered to concentrate voters expected to vote in one party. Even then, people do also look at the popular vote, so your vote still makes a statement. But if your district is gerrymandered to spread out voters in one party, they may have cut things so close that your vote actually counts more than other people's.

Answer: It matters as much as anyone else's and it shows you still want your right to vote (and gives you the right to complain).

Complaint: I just cannot make myself vote for either major party.

Then vote for your favorite third-party candidate. No, third parties usually don't win, but if they get a high enough percentage of the votes (something still crazy small, like 5%), that still makes a statement, and the winner will often use their best ideas. I think that counts as a win.

I do want to caution against voting for someone way more more extreme than you would actually want to win, just to send a message. Because of things like Brexit. Either vote for the one you most want to win, or the one most likely to beat the one you least want to win.

Answer: Vote for a third-party candidate.

Complaint: Voting takes forever and is no fun.

You probably have more choices than waiting in line after work on election day. My county generally has at least a week of early voting, and it's always dead when I go (admittedly, usually on a weekday). Your employer may have a policy that lets you vote during the work day. You may be able to vote by mail (this is a hassle in Texas, but may be worth it if you're disabled).

But just in case, wear comfy shoes and bring something you can do while waiting in line. I've also been to some small precincts where everyone uses voting day as a time to hang out with their neighbors.

Answer: Consider alternative ways to vote.

Complaint: I'm afraid ICE will grab me.

I want to say that only citizens are allowed to vote, so you will be safe. And no guns are allowed within a certain distance of the polls, so you will be safe. But I've seen the news. As a person who is so white I'm pink, I'm in no position to tell you to vote. Maybe this has to be like vaccines. Some people are too ill to get vaccinated, but so long as most other people do get vaccinated, those people are still protected. All of us who can safely vote should do so.

You may be able to vote by mail if you register to do that early enough. In Texas you need an excuse to vote by mail. If you're not over 65, note that the definition of disability is that you affirm that "I have a sickness or physical condition that prevents me from appearing at the polling place on Election Day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or injuring my health." If you check this box, that is all the explanation needed. (You could possibly argue that being brown is a physical condition that prevents you from appearing at the polls without a likelihood of injuring your health.)

Another idea is to bring supporters with you.

Another idea, if you have a choice of polling locations, is to go to one where most voters are expected to be Republican; I'd think ICE would focus on the locations expected to have more Democrats.

Answer: Do what you can to stay safe, even if that means not voting; encourage your non-brown friends to vote.

Complaint: I don't know who to vote for.

I'm with you on that one. No one's campaign flyer is going to say how they're only corrupt in one area or that they're a jerk who pisses everyone off. Politicians are also famous for lying on the campaign trail.

So, here are my ideas:
* Do look at their websites to at least see what they're promising. If you disagree with their best side, that's a bad sign.
* Look at The League of Women Voters Guide - they have interviews of candidates and try to list pros and cons of issues.
* Search for news or scandals about candidates.
* Find people who stay informed all year and see who they recommend. Newspapers tend to make recommendations in all the races (or in the primaries, for all the races in their preferred party). Professional and other organizations may make recommendations in their specialties, but these tend to be single-issue recommendations. The best endorsements are like movie reviews--they tell you why they like the person or issue they endorse, so you can see if you agree with their reasoning--they may talk you into voting for someone they don't like or vice versa.

Answer: Look for their stance on issues, what's in the news, and what people-in-the-know recommend.

Edited to add:
Complaint: The elections are rigged.

I've heard several rumors about this. For example:

* Voting machines were hacked - If you have a printed ballot, you can see how the machine thinks you voted. It is standard to choose a few elections in different precincts and compare what's on the printed ballots (hand-counting) with what the machines have counted--so if the printed ballot doesn't match the computer code, that will be caught.

* Non-citizens are voting - That's illegal in all states. It does happen, but only very rarely.

* Sometimes it looks like Republicans are winning, and then at the last second, Democrats win - That's because election-day votes are counted first then early voting and mail-in ballots; Republicans are more likely to vote on election day and Democrats are more likely to vote at other times.

* Mail-in ballots are ripe for fraud - Mail-in ballots must be attached to the names and Voter ID's of registered voters or they are not accepted. If someone tries to vote both in person and through the mail, only the first vote will be accepted unless an in-person voter petitions to destroy their mailed-in ballot.

That doesn't mean hacking isn't a danger; fortunately, it can be resisted. Here are the more likely routes:

* Hack the voter rolls - You can fight this by double-checking to make sure you are registered to vote when there is still time to re-register if necessary. (This also helps you catch other issues, like not having re-registered in a new place you've moved to.)

* Gerrymander - Unfortunately, totally legal. At least this doesn't affect votes for local elections.

* Hack social media - Russians and others have been caught spreading lies in American social media trying to get people angry enough to vote Republican. If something sounds crazy, look for evidence that it's really true before basing any decisions on that information.

* Change voting rules to make it harder for groups of people who are likely to vote for one party. For example, requiring a street address means some Native Americans can't vote. Requiring a passport or birth certificate with a matching name will disqualify many women (and others) who have changed their names and don't travel internationally. Disallowing voting on Sundays affects church buses going to the polls after Sunday services. Letting post offices postmark mail later (this just happens) makes it less likely that mail-in votes will count. Try to keep informed on rules changes and make a plan to deal with them.

Answer: Informed voting is the best way to fight this issue.