But What If I Don’t Care Who You’re Voting For?

But What If I Don’t Care Who You’re Voting For?

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t care who you’re voting for. I didn’t ask and probably don’t want to know. If we’ve been friends, family, or colleagues all this time without awareness of having or lacking strong political ties to one another, which bubbles you fill in in the privacy of your voting booth really don’t concern me.

I miss the days of old when it was a societal faux pas to talk about who you were voting for. It used to be that the boldest political statement most would make was putting a small sign in the grass of their front yard.

Don’t get me wrong – I have strong political opinions of my own. I genuinely care who wins each election. There are issues that weigh heavily on my heart. Because of that, I find out where candidates stand on said issues, head to the polling place, wait in line, and cast my vote. I make sure my voice is heard in the only way that really matters: by my vote. (Read: Not on Facebook.)

I know I’m not alone when I say I’ve become so incredibly disenchanted with the barrage of political banter on social media and news outlets. I find myself in awe again and again at how polarizing it all can be. You can’t even consider opening Facebook during an election season unless you’re willing to have mud slung on you, no matter which side of the fence you’re on.

I read through the articles, blogs, and posts on social media with tension in my soul. I intentionally remind myself that I thrive on her sense of humor/I adore his family/I survive thanks to her encouraging views on parenthood/I glean wisdom from his teaching every other day of the year. I understand that we have one million things in common yet we somehow have starkly opposing points of view.

Here’s the deal. If I’ve learned one thing from resolutely oppositional people standing on their social media soapboxes, it’s this: People that I care about, respect, and even really like, cross partisan lines, and I think that’s okay (cue the gasp…NOW).

So what’s the problem with a bold, unapologetic, political tirade online? There’s someone on the opposite end of the spectrum who is, indeed, not an idiot like you might be suggesting. There’s someone who has every bit as much education as you (maybe more) who has come to another conclusion. There’s someone with far more life experience than you who has an opposing opinion. There’s someone with the same religious affiliation who takes a totally different stance on the same issues. There are respected professionals in your field who, based on their life experiences, have fallen on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

There are moms and dads, teachers and preachers, doctors and lawyers, racially same and racially different who vote the same as you and who vote differently than you. There are really good people on both sides. No one has the right to degrade certain groups of people based on politics any more than they do on the base of religion, race, or gender. I fully respect the fact that there are differing points of view on just about everything. I respect the fact that we’ve walked different roads (even if ever so slightly) and that our experiences have led us to take a stand on different sides of the line. I respect your right to vote however you feel led.

So, dear friends, let your voices be heard at the polls. Participate in fundraisers, take action on issues that are near and dear to your heart. Do things that matter. Speak in a way people will listen, not draw their proverbial swords.