Focus

You’re focusing on the wrong thing! Do you know about the Judge you voted for? Do you have any idea what the questions meant on your ballot? How about the State Senator you chose? Any idea what she stands for? You probably saw the letter affixed to her name and as long as it aligned with your ideology, selected her, and moved on. How many times did you think of ‘Resistance’ or ‘Blue Wave’ when you voted? What about (the evil, orange man) Trump? Probably a few times. Why?

Why did you focus on these macro issues? You could have instead focused on one of these local folks your about to bestow power to within your own community. They will make decisions on how to educate your children. They decide how safe and well constructed your roads will be. The local politicians you hand power to get to decide on countless things that will quickly, and regularly impact your life. You don’t know a thing about them. 

It’s easy to always focus on the large issues. Everyone talks about them. You can get away with engaging in the chat by only having a few loose talking points. This will get you by. A headline and phrase from a CNN article, or two-minutes speaking about what you heard on Hannity four-weeks ago. Combine this with a bold phrase, like, ‘Democrats are evil’, or ‘Trump hates migrants,’ add a few head shakes and an eye roll. Voila! Political debate successfully completed! 

America is getting involved. This is a good thing. Americans should involve themselves with politics. This is their right, not duty, but their right. Now, American’s need to get smart. This is their choice, but at least America allows it. The key is to realize voting and engagement are mutually exclusive. You can align a vote for a US Senator, or House Representative with your Party’s Ideology, but you should really get to know the folks who are further down the ballot. The local politicians will be instrumental in your life in everything from safety, to education, zoning, construction, and so much more. They assume power often with the fewest votes. They need your attention.

Congratulations. You voted. One-year until the next election. Start figuring out who is running and how they will impact your life where you live.