I generally write about food - maybe this is food for thought. In these polarized political times it can be hard to know what to do. Voices on tv and on line can be so loud and so vitriolic. But the national cacophony does drown out the needs going on in my own community. We owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to get out and vote. But with the divide widening where can I turn for information? I trust the networks I have built living in my community.
There are two women, both moms, to whom I always turn before our local and state elections. One is a hairdresser with two sons. She’s a conservative with a left leaning husband. As one of those 'talkers-behind-the-chair' she knows lots of people in town and can answer all my questions about judges and ballot items I’m not familiar with. Many positions in my state are allowed to go up for election without declaring party affiliation so you can't just vote down a party line, you have to get to know the candidates. She’s got contacts she trusts, and I trust her. She’s also a great mom with kids the same age as my own children.
The other is a mother and a lawyer and internet maven on her own. She’s liberal, and I am less so, but we still discuss a lot of topics now and then. I find her information valuable as I formulate my own decisions especially because we don't agree on all issues. It is worthwhile to hear differing points of view.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King, Jr
Voting is such a privilege! Thanks for reminding us all to get out there