The Bittersweet Beauty

It was a landslide. A routing. 525 electoral votes for the victor. 13 for the loser who only carried one state. That was the 1984 presidential election: Ronald Reagan vs. Walter Mondale. 

That was also the first year I could vote: November 6, 1984. My excitement participating as a voter in America's representative democracy empowered me to understand as much as I could about those running that year at the federal, state, and local level, along with all the state and local propositions. In 1984 in California, that included the creation of the state lottery. I had forgotten about that. 

I have voted in nearly every election since. I wish I could say all of them, but I recall at least one time in my 20's flaking on an election. My voting prep process came from my parents; sit down at the table with all the election materials and guides and review everyone and everything on the ballot. Then, make an informed decision on who and what to vote for, or to not vote for. 

That also made for some spirited conversations with my family back then and over the years. They were always center-right ideologically and I've always been center-left. They believed in the voting process in America, though, and for that I'm grateful. 

For nearly 30 years my wife Amy and I prep and review before each election. We now have a lot more resources online to help us. 

We're also super proud of the fact that we have a new voter in the house. Our oldest Beatrice turned 18 this year and was able to vote in this year's election. We were so proud to see how excited she was to participate in the voting process. History is also one of her favorite subjects and understanding how the past informs and impacts the present has come alive in her. 

So, before the midterm elections this year, Amy and I sat down at the table with all the election materials and guides and reviewed everyone and everything on the ballot. Beatrice joined us, listened, and asked us lots of questions. But she also wanted to do her own research, to better understand the issues at hand and to experience the process herself. So, while we sat and reviewed, she was reading and researching herself, periodically stopping to ask us clarifying questions. 

We vote early every year, but instead of mailing our ballots in (which we did for decades in California), we've been dropping them off into the local ballot dropboxes. This year Beatrice was eager to go with me to do just that. When we got to the ballot dropbox, instead of me depositing them from the driver-side window, Beatrice asked if she could do it. She took our three ballots from me, got out of the car, and dropped them into the ballot box herself, beaming with pride and a smile a mile wide. 

Me, too! That was a pleasure to watch! (Bryce can't wait to vote as well!) And although it's felt like it's been on life support, thank God representative democracy isn't dead with such a historic turnout. It was supposedly the second-highest turnout rate in a midterm year since 1914, exceeded only by the 2018 midterms, and we were thrilled with this year's midterm election results. 

Regardless of our politics, or yours, we should all welcome a healthy, participatory democracy. That's the bittersweet beauty of modern American politics, ultimately how the pendulum swings for change. Now, let's get to work and back to accountability and affordability for families everywhere.