The simple act of voting affirms a tradition that has served Americans well for 250 years. True, the United States is not a pure democracy. If it were, Californians would not have two percent of the representation of each North Dakotan in the US Senate. Also, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia would have voting congressional representation. And we would elect presidents based on popular vote rather than through an electoral college that’s biased towards whiter flyover states while disenfranchising the more diverse and educated coastal ones.
A clear example of that kind of undemocracy transpired in 2000, when popular vote-losing George W. Bush managed to stop Florida recounts that would have likely elected Al Gore, thanks to a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. Talk about making one vote count.
The attacks on voting rights have continued with ID law initiatives and restrictions on mail voting. We now see a massive increase in democratic-erosion events, from press restrictions and pardons of election disruptors and presidential family members to Department of Justice investigations of political opponents—which began under Biden and accelerated under Trump.
Fighting back against naked power grabs is an act of patriotism that begins with a cast ballot. Now more than before, it’s time to study the issues, the candidates and the ballot measures, then exercise our right to participate in guiding our future. Without that participation, we just give a green light to the rising tide of global authoritarianism.
