Happy Prime(ary) Day!
Happy Primary Day! Not to be confused with Prime Day, though I do wish that folks would be half as excited about voting as they are about scoring sweet deals on Amazon. I can’t count how many times I was asked during those two days in July if I had found anything exciting on Amazon (the answer is obviously yes) but I can say that I have not been asked once today if I have voted.
In my personal experience, every time I chat with someone about voting there’s a begrudging reluctance to engage in that conversation. No matter the person’s age, I get a lot of “but what’s the point?” or “it’s not like my vote really makes a difference.” To which I say, IT DOES! Your vote matters! Red or Blue, young or old, enthusiastic or reluctant; your vote is your voice! It is your opportunity to provide input on the changes that you would like to see in your neighborhoods and communities!
While we all as humans have vastly different experiences and opinions, we can ALL find something to vote on! I know that there is always a lot of media around the big race, the presidential election, and we should all definitely stay up to date with what’s going on in the upper offices of our government. But! Y’all are sleeping on the local government elections! Who decides your taxes? Who decides how the city's budget is allocated? Who maintains our roads and infrastructure? Who makes decisions around housing solutions and facilities? Local government! How are those people appointed? Elections! Find the thing that matters to you and go make sure your voice is heard!
At The Neighboring Movement, we encourage folks to focus on building intentional relationships with their neighbors and within their communities. In our Community Animator Network Program, one of my favorite things is the shift in focus from what’s wrong in our neighborhoods to what’s strong, present, and abundant. Through this shift in perspective and by building intentional, reciprocal relationships we can foster collective action in our neighborhoods and communities. Most of us are familiar with the term civic engagement, but let’s put a focus on the engagement aspect of that. If we aren’t engaging our neighborhoods and communities, then we’re not fulfilling our responsibility to each other as humans. Part of that responsibility lies in exercising our right to vote!
Happy voting y’all!
