Although this is admittedly a privileged position to be in, the 2020 election snuck up on me. I got my mail-in ballot for California, but let it sit on my desk. I knew inside would be races for positions with which I was unfamiliar, having only lived in San Diego for a couple years and not knowing what the political environment was on the local level. In addition, the California Voter Information Guide let me know there would be 11 propositions that were difficult to parse, and had at least 4 pages each of thorough explanation and official arguments for and against them.
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the voting that did not involve the presidential race (and that presidential race being uncertain nationwide, despite me knowing who I would vote for), the ballot remained on my desk for two weeks. It wasn’t until a podcast introduction from ATP that it finally sunk in that the election was coming up incredibly fast, and I needed to get my vote in. So I sat down this past Thursday, and over the course of a couple hours researched and made decisions on the various candidates and measures filling my ballot.
With that done, I figured it was time to take a break from my self-indulgent series on text adventures, and focus on a particularly sticky election. I have no guess as to how it will turn out. Other people have summarized some of the main possible outcomes quite well, so I feel no need to do that. And since I am no longer working in a college dorm, I feel disconnected from the effects this nation’s politics have on people. I’m stuck between the privileged spot of wanting to simply focus on my daily work, and a deep discomfort for what precedent the past 4 years have set, and what the next 4 years could mean for our country.
What has been most frustrating is the lack of respect for our country, and a disagreement in what it stands for. We’ve set up a system where people refuse to change it (or actively try to hamstring it) because that’s the only way for them to maintain power. We’ve also set up a system where discussions about the system, ignoring the specific politics of the day, seem nearly impossible to navigate. So many cling to the wisdom of Founding Fathers without recognizing that a large part of what they included was the ability to adapt and change within the system. Yet these avenues seem cut off from us until massive change is created.
It’s a frustrating time, and I am discouraged by the thought of the presidential election. I find it unlikely that a transfer (or maintaining) of power will go smoothly, because the conversations are always about the wrong thing. It’s discouraging that reality has become inconsequential, and I’m not sure where my spot is in what the next few months will bring.
I’m sure this week will be a multiple-post week, at the expense of making any progress on NaNoWriMo. But this is a time for focusing on something much bigger than a certain creative itch, because I believe there’s much more at stake. It may be true that all the well-meaning people won’t be enough due to nefarious actors outside our control, but I hope we can start moving in a better direction.