Greetings to you!
How many of you have been spooked all October, nervously watching the news and wondering how the chips (ballots) will fall this November? I have!
Watching election news can be bad for the heart because so many candidates and their supporters in various states are election deniers. Our form of government and the fabric of society are being tested to the breaking point. There have been serious challenges to the nation’s constitutional legacy and values, we have a sharply divided electorate and deadlocked government, we’re experiencing extreme economic inequality, racial tensions are heightened, and foreign interference is successfully disrupting our economy. All of these conditions are destabilizing our nation’s democratic processes.
While waiting for the other shoe to drop I took the time to reflect that the foundational goals of our Constitution, including its socioeconomic objectives, are enshrined in the Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity . . .
A government comprising three branches, each of which checks and balances the others, is responsible for guaranteeing that our laws, rights, and freedoms are protected from the overpowering influence of any single branch—or individual. So far, our judicial branch has held the line to prevent a total collapse of our representative democracy.
But our common respect for the key provisions of the Constitution and its amendments are all that holds back the tide of tyranny. Our system works only to the extent that informed citizens respect the institutions that safeguard it, verify and agree on actual facts, and participate. Only the people have the true power to uphold our democracy—by voting! Some may also choose to serve in elective office, volunteer, advocate, and demonstrate. But we ALL have the right—and the responsibility—to inform ourselves of what is on our ballots and vote in every election. That’s why we all work, day in and day out during election season, to ensure that eligible voters are registered, and registered voters are informed and inspired to vote!
This Thanksgiving I will make it a point to remember how grateful I am that League volunteers take the time to gather information and present it in an understandable format so that voters don’t have to dread deciding whether to check “Yes” or “No” on their ballots or skip a high-profile contest between candidates in fear of inadvertently making the wrong choice.
So, I salute our volunteers—YOU—who have taken up the torch to expand voter rights and inform the electorate. Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving.
Ever grateful,
—Martha Y. Zavala
