NOW This, By Caitlin
NOW This, by Caitlin
VOTE.
Voting. It is all that anyone seems to be talking about; with every swipe and scroll the reminder to vote is in your face to the point of exhaustion. There are so many emotions attached to voting: the process, the procedure … and media only exacerbates it. Everyone is trying to tell you who to vote for, and why. With the 2020 presidential election days away, let's take a closer look at the core of our electoral system.
The American people vote for the President of the United States within their state for a simple majority. This majority then tells the electors how to cast their electoral votes. Electors are often people who are active in their political party or someone closely connected to the world of politics. These electoral votes total 538 with 270 being the majority. That is why you commonly hear ‘The Race to 270’ sensationalized in the media. Each state's number of electoral votes correlates with the number of senators and representatives. All other elected positions that appear on the ballot (ie: Senators and Representatives) are elected by a simple majority vote.
To understand further, let’s take a trip back to 1787 before the Electoral College was first established. Delegate Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts said, (July 19, 1787) “The Founding Fathers had seen the dangers of placing ultimate power into a single set of human hands. Accordingly, they feared that placing the unlimited power to elect the president into the politically naive hands of the people could lead to a "tyranny of the masses." The founding fathers wanted the states to decide who the POTUS would be. Despite strong arguments, even recently, for a national popular vote this would take the power away from rural and less populated regions. This is one of the many concepts about the separation of powers touched upon in the Federalist Papers (No. 47) and mentioned in the Constitution. According to the late historian, George Athan Billias, “Gerry defended popular rights when the people appeared to be threatened by some powerful interest groups, and he called for restraints on popular influence when the people seemed to be gaining the upper hand too much.” The electoral college serves as a compromise between the popular vote and allowing your congressional representatives to vote on your behalf. The electoral college is one of the many tools used to ensure separation of powers.
Now let's look at the word “vote”. It derives from the Latin word votum: "a vow, wish, promise to a god, solemn pledge, dedication." To vote is to contribute to something larger than yourself, or to be an integral part of a whole. When you consistently vote and make your voice heard, you start to see those voices pop up in the polls. Remember, change in government isn’t like two-day delivery; it takes time and patience.
Thomas Jefferson, one of my favorite American Presidents and Founding Fathers once said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Jefferson referred to knowledge as light. He believed that light upholds liberty and that a free government relies on informed and enlightened citizens.
One of the major causes for the American Revolution was the concept of “Taxation without Representation.” The American Colonists were tired of paying taxes and not having a say in the government that then controlled said funds. Tax dollars are spent and policy is enacted and enforced through the federal, state, county, town, village and school. It is the people on your local boards who also decide how the tax money your district receives is spent. This is where the power is … it lies within our communities.
No matter how this election shakes out, there will be people in your life disappointed with the results. However, at the end of the day, nothing is more important than your community. Look at the leaps and bounds small towns, suburbs and cities across the United States have made to continue to keep our way of life going despite a pandemic and subsequent impact it had on the political arena. It is your right to vote, a right many have died to protect. A right that women and men across this world wish they had ... so stop letting disingenuous memes and misleading headlines divide us.
There are four pillars to dynamic and healthy society which are brilliantly highlighted close to home at the Buffalo Savings Bank: Arts, Industry, Commerce and Power. The American people are three of the four driving forces of society; we are the light that Jefferson refers to. We are the people who keep arts, industry and commerce going. The pillar of power, for this example government, is truly the cumulative voice of the American people. When you cast your vote for president, you are voting for the ethos and stature you want the United States to represent, and how you want it to represent you.
One of the few silver linings to this turbulent political atmosphere is that it has people questioning the status quo more than ever. As Suffragette icon Susan B. Anthony said, “Forget conventionalisms; forget what the world thinks of you stepping out of your place; think your best thoughts, speak your best words, work your best works, looking to your own conscience for approval.”
Oh, and GO VOTE.
Caitlin Croft is a resident of Ellicottville and team writer for ellicottvilleNOW. She works full-time as a real estate agent for Keller Williams Realty and sits on the Ellicottville Town Planning Board. Her passion for politics began at an early age speaking in front of her first board in 3rd grade to petition for longer bookstore hours. That passion for Public Service and fighting for the best interests of her community continued throughout her schooling. She is a proud member of Phi Alpha Delta.