Civic Engagement Does Not End With Our Vote
Letter to the editor, Hampshire Gazette, printed Nov. 24, 2020
We celebrate the amazing success of the November 3rd elections. In spite of extreme challenges, Americans voted in record numbers! We voted safely and early during the pandemic! We voted in one of our most partisan and contentious elections, guided by nonpartisan election officials, who oversaw the most secure election in our history! Young and minority voters surged to the polls.
Dr. Deborah Turner, president of the national League of Women Voters (LWV) and CEO Virginia Kase issued this election statement, “We applaud the will and determination of the American public to participate in elections amid an ongoing pandemic. This unprecedented turnout is a testament to the determination of the American voters and the strength of our democratic system. It is also a testament to the tenacity and power of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, Muslim, LGBTQ+, and young voters who turned out in record numbers demanding their voices be heard. We are truly inspired. Democracy defines America, and democracy has prevailed in the 2020 elections.”
The smooth-running election on November 3rd was not the inevitable outcome. In fact, the chances were far higher for a very different election. We are deeply grateful for those who made it work. Grateful for the dedication and hard work of tens of thousands of Americans who made this election such a great achievement. A huge thank you to state and local election officials, town clerks, hard-working poll workers, ballot counters, and new, young volunteers, who worked countless hours during early voting, on Election day, and beyond under extremely difficult conditions.
The election revealed the fragility of the system. Reforms can begin by making procedures that worked well this year permanent, wrote LWV leaders, Turner and Kase. “There will be many lessons learned from the 2020 elections, and we should celebrate our successes, including the expansion of voter access, record-breaking early voting, and the wide-scale use of absentee and mail-in voting options. This is what creating a more perfect union looks like, and we hope to see these expansions become a more permanent part of our voting system.” Here in Massachusetts early voting and expanded mail-in voting options were set up just for the 2020 elections. Now is the time to make these reforms permanent.
Civic engagement does not end with our vote. Let’s turn our excitement and energy generated by the election toward making government work. The Massachusetts legislature has just one month left to pass bills on the climate, economy, immigration, housing, racial justice, health care (ROE Act), and much more. If our legislators don’t hear us, we are invisible. Speak out. Demand action now.
Nancy Polan
Legislative Director, Northampton Area League of Women Voters