Screaming into the Void: Feeling Voiceless in the Election of a Lifetime
Voting. The principle the United States was founded on.
The idea that having no say in what happens to the country you live in is wrong, and that having your voice heard isn't a privilege but a right.
And yet this right is often disrespected. The percentage of the voting-age population that actually turns out at the polls has been just above only half, year after year, according to Pew Research Center.
The candidates weren't galvanizing voters, and so people didn't see a reason to take the time to drive to the nearest polling center and bubble in a circle that could change the fate of our country.
However this year, something changed, and the voter turnout in 2020 could be the highest it's been in a century, according to CNN.
But why? For one, logistics: voting this year has been much easier than it's been in the past, with much more accessibility to absentee and mail-in ballots.
But I think there is another, more nuanced reason that so many people are making an effort to show up for their candidates this year.
And it's not pretty.
Fear.
We have seen how during these past four years the rights of marginalized groups have been tossed around like a hot potato. And the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to look away from the distracted life of before and look at what is happening in this world.
The Trump administration and all of its supporters in political power have, time and time again, threatened the rights of women, People of Color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The thing that has hit closest to me is reproductive rights, and the fear and knowledge I have of just how in jeopardy they are.
I know as soon as one regulation regarding reproductive rights is made, then out rolls another, and before we know it we are looking at a world in which making choices about our bodies will be considered a crime.
One key election to pay attention to is the election for Senate in Maine. In 2018, Susan Collins dismissed what Mainers wanted and voted to approve Brett Kavanaugh, a vote that put reproductive rights and health on the line, As we know, every seat that turns red in the Supreme Court, especially under the Trump administration, is a seat further away from progressive reproductive law. Sara Gideon, on the other hand, can be trusted to keep the opinions of people in Maine, and reproductive freedom, safe, as she understands that Planned Parenthood does much more than provide abortions, and that the healthcare it provides, is necessary and vital.
If you’re like me, and this is the first election you are paying attention to, then you know how I feel. It's scary, exciting, and mind-blowing. It is also hard, because it feels like you’re screaming just to have your voice heard. But the one concrete thing you can do, which is vote, is out of your hands. And that is hard. So I urge you, if you are in my position, make your voice heard to the people that can vote, talk to your family and friends, and talk to people that are out of your direct reach, through things like phone banking. Planned Parenthood Votes is a great option to do this through, and you can click this link to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFRlw_mRY2jeHBBtq-IS5kGxOTiazLA44YnGNwRmPGQYqlpQ/viewform
I urge you, make your voice heard. If you can't vote, that's all you can do. But if we scream long enough, someone is going to listen.
