Today is Halloween, but it’s also one week before the U. S. elections. I thought it was appropriate, therefore, to write about a few things that scare me.
Less than 40 percent of those eligible have voted in midterm elections during the past 20 years. I’m scared Democratic voters will see Republicans reeling from the Mark Foley scandal and growing discontent over the war in Iraq, and assume the battle is won. The stakes are too high for that, especially since Democrats have a real chance to regain control at many levels. They need six seats for control of the Senate, and 15 for the House. A net gain of four seats would give them a majority of governors’ mansions. In fourteen state legislatures, a shift of five seats or fewer could mean a difference.
I’m also scared because eight states have ballot initiatives to ban same-sex marriage. Since the New Jersey ruling, President Bush has added gay marriage to taxes and terrorism as key issues with which to motivate Republican voters. He railed against judges who “legislate from the bench,” forgetting that the New Jersey Supreme Court left it up to the state legislature to decide whether to use the term “marriage” or “civil union” for legal same-sex partnerships. I don’t believe Bush will win many new converts by this, but he may motivate existing supporters to get to the polls in a week.
I’m scared my son will grow up in a world that tells him his parents’ love is worth less than that of other parents, that his family faces additional financial burdens because of this, that we have to carry paperwork every time we travel to prove our relationship to each other, that there’s no guarantee a hospital wouldn’t prevent one of his moms from visiting him because they question the validity of our legal bond. I’m scared he will grow up viewing the United States government as an entity that takes away rights and freedoms, rather than protects them.
As parents, it’s easy to skip the little extra tasks that intrude into our schedules. Make a point this year to get to the polls or send in an absentee ballot. Talk with your neighbors and other parents at playgroups and schools—not the ones with the “Limbaugh ’08” bumper stickers, but those who are generally accepting of you and your family. They simply may not have thought through the direct impact of their votes on your lives. Talk with your children, if they are old enough, about the democratic process. If they are grown, make sure they vote, too. Let’s make Halloween night, not the morning of November 8, the last scary time of the year.
We ordered our absentee ballots weeks ago, received them yesterday and I mailed them via express mail today. In other words, if we can manage all of that you guys still in the US should be able to manage going to your polling place next week. ;-) Let’s all hope the average American has figured out they’ve been duped by the Republican party.