Decisions are made by those who show up

I started re-watching The West Wing a week or so before the election. I, like many of you, was feeling a little bit all over the place in the lead up to November 3. The show aired on NBC from 1999-2006, and focused on the fictional presidency of Democrat Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and the staff of the West Wing. It foreshadowed the Obama presidency in many ways, and showed DC in all its glory and weirdness. I loved the show when it originally aired, although I don't remember seasons six and seven as well as I remember the first four seasons. I haven't watched the entire series since it originally aired. 

It's odd to watch it now. In the world of The West Wing, Democrats and Republicans get along in the big picture of things. Divisions exist, but the divisive political world we live in today is not the norm. I always thought of The West Wing as a presidential fairy tale; it showed us both the best and the worst of people and there was always a lesson to be learned. The show is idealistic on many levels, and a little bro-y, but it's set in peak DC bro years, so no one should be surprised by the bro-iness. There's something magical about the way it depicts our country and the office of the President. It also makes me so curious about many things. I had to look up our current Poet Laureate, and am constantly looking up historical references and stories. The show gives me hope for the future, something I've struggled with, particularly since March.

The last four years have made me think about the country, democracy, and patriotism more than I normally do. I mean, I think about these things a lot, but I haven't spent this much time in a concentrated period of time doing so. Before the Trump years, I don't think I thought about the President as much as I do today. I'd like to return to a time when I don't think about the President this often. This isn't to say I won't do my part to hold any President accountable for his/her actions; I just don't want to do it every day. My experience as an Election Officer was eye-opening in a lot of ways. Americans, as a whole, don't understand how elections work. I've known this for years, but it seems like more people are waking up to the fact that we've created a system that is flawed and is rife with voter suppression. From registration deadlines and rules to ID laws to redistricting to the timeline for certifying election results, Americans are horribly under educated. And that's exactly what some people want. If you ever question whether your vote matters, remember that people wouldn't work so hard to keep you from voting or to keep your vote from being counted if it didn't matter. 

Voting is a type of power. That's why it's so important to actually get out and vote. One of the things I realized as I was working on Election Day is that it also creates a world of perceived power. During the day, I worked with some wonderful volunteers from both parties. Voting precincts are staffed by members of both parties, as well as independents and those who don't align with party affiliations. This is supposed to create a safe and equal voting experience. I got the sense that most people, especially the other first timers, had signed up for reasons similar to mine. They wanted to make sure people could safely and securely vote in person, and they wanted to help their community. Like me, most of the group was working at their polling precinct, so helping their actual neighbors. 

There was, however, one person who I couldn't figure out at first. Why was this person, a white man (older than me, but younger than my dad), volunteering? He seemed so anti-everything: he didn't want to wear a mask even though all officers were required to (he was the subject of a voter complaint about this). Any problem with an ID or a voter's status couldn't be solved, except that it could be. A curbside voter looked "too young" to really qualify (except the person was unable to walk without assistance, but sure only old people need help). At one point, he joked about gun ownership with me. While none of his actions were overtly aggressive, he was clearly trying to make a statement. He was trying to show his power, or at least the power he perceived he had. 

Some of you may think I'm overreacting, but I've been listening to men explain things to me my whole life. This was someone who didn't like that I knew the rules as well or better than him. Someone who didn't care for a woman (a voter) telling him to put his mask on before helping her. Someone who didn't care about social distancing rules. Someone who made a "joke" about gun ownership while checking the ID of Latino man and then questioning whether the man's ID and address were valid. This was someone who didn't care about fair elections or whether every vote got counted. He was determined to make others feel small and unimportant. 

As we wait for the 45 to acknowledge that he lost, I've been thinking about this man. I'll probably never see him again; he doesn't live in my precinct but was assigned to it this year because we needed people. I'll never see him again, but I'll "see" him every time the 45 goes on and on about nonexistent voter fraud or Moscow Mitch sits on a stimulus bill that could actually help people. I'll see him every time a Trump supporter spouts some cult-ish sounding sound bite about election results or that COVID is a hoax, despite the virus not going away and the numbers of sick and dying continue to increase. Just thinking about how many times a day I'll see this man is exhausting. 

But there is another side to this. The last four years, and this particular election, have shown us how important it is to vote and to be heard. It's shown us the difference voter education makes (let's talk about the amazing Stacey Abrams and Georgia) and that our vote does matter. We have a long way to go to fix the election system in the US (among other things), but this election showed us what can be done. This is why watching The West Wing has been so calming these last few weeks; it's about possibility and the power of the people. As President Bartlet reminds us, "Decisions are made by those who show up." Elections aren't the end of something, but the beginning of the next thing. And we all need to show up for whatever comes next. 

Reminder: Show your good citizenry! Check out this post for the details of my Be a Good Citizen Project. Use this link to complete a short questionnaire on your good citizen-ing. The deadline for submissions has been extended until December 1. I'm like the Oprah of rewarding good citizenship: "You get a piece of original art! And you get a piece of original art.