The political campaigns and debates leading up to the November 2020 national elections are challenging the notion that candidates running for Congress or the presidency have seen the 10-foot sign on the front of the FCNL Building that reads, “Love Thy Neighbor (No Exceptions).”
Since the 1600s, Quakers have worked to influence government. We encourage everyone to use this election year to talk to your neighbors about the priorities of our FCNL community and to reach out to candidates to ask them questions and influence their agendas. What these candidates hear during the election season will shape public policy for years to come. How we ask the questions is equally important. Disagreements over policies and debates exist and are important, but much of the campaigning and the media coverage focus on style rather than substance, on how one candidate tears down another, or what opinion polls reveal about decisions that are many months away.
Adding to these challenges, problems like voter suppression, the influence of money, and the polarization of the public debate, make campaigning difficult for those who participate. They drive more and more people to simply turn away from the political process. When people don’t vote, our democracy is weakened.
You can read more of this article, and the rest of the January-February Washington Newsletter, below.