Now is the time to exercise a fundamental benefit of our citizenship: VOTE in this election.
We ask all of you in the FCNL network to do a lot. Now I’m asking you to do more to help advance the world we seek—to create peace, justice and a sustainable planet.
Vote as though your life depends on it. Vote as though the people you send to Congress might prevent wars, might recognize and mitigate climate change, might put human needs above corporate needs, might reform a broken immigration system, might unravel the morass of mass incarceration, might reform election laws to make our democracy stronger, might fund the initiatives that end hunger, homelessness and hopelessness. Vote as though it’s a privilege to be a citizen in a country where the majority of people can choose who leads their government.
Between now and November 8, citizens across the United States are voting for our next president; 34 states are electing a U.S. senator and every district in the country has candidates on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives. Many of you are voting for governors, state legislators and ballot initiatives. Several states started early voting; if you aren’t sure where or how to vote, contact the statewide elections commission office in your state. If you experience or witness voter suppression, this is the number to call: (800) 253-3931.
The challenges of our democracy are not reasons to opt-out. They are reasons to participate — to repair the brokenness.
I hear lots of frustration and some anxiety about the political campaigns from people all across the country. And I hear a few people make remarks like, “None of the candidates represent me,” or “My vote doesn’t really matter” or “I don’t trust our electoral system.” These are not reasons to opt-out; they are reasons to participate—to repair the brokenness.
At FCNL, our role as a Quaker lobby is within the rich tradition of Friends practicing their faith through petitioning the government to change injustice. Our faith guides us, it gives us the spirit of constancy and the spirit of joy for creating change in our government. That faith calls us to act—starting with voting and moving to holding our elected officials accountable.
Don’t opt out of this election because the perfect candidate isn’t on the ballot or because you are angry that our political system is not fully representative of the people of this country or because the candidates aren’t talking about the issue you care most about. All of this may be true, but vote anyway.
Vote and then ACT with FCNL to change these systems. We have much work before us—to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice. Voting for the best candidates and then working to hold them accountable is the opportunity we have for change.
Two days after the election, over 300 people will be on Capitol Hill in Washington DC with FCNL, calling on this Congress to pass criminal justice sentencing reform. In addition to this Lobby Day at FCNL’s Annual Meeting (Nov 10-13), we’ll be organizing people for a December Community Lobby Day. The purpose of the Community Lobby Day is to bring delegations of constituents to local congressional offices to press members for action on the bi-partisan sentencing reform legislation during the lame duck session. FCNL and others have lobbied relentlessly this year to see this legislation pass.
And, when the new president is inaugurated and a new Congress is sworn in early next year, we will be ready to continue our persistent and prophetic lobby for policies that prevent and end war; for solutions to climate change; for initiatives that bring justice to communities and make our society stronger.
We count on you—the FCNL network—to join us in our lobbying. But, first, we count on you to vote and to encourage everyone you know who has the right to vote to exercise it in this election.
Vote as though you have hope for a better country. Vote as though you have hope for a better world. And keep working with FCNL to make it so.
