by Kathie England

Voters with Courage

Today, October 20 is only 16 days away from November 5, the day Americans will decide whether our democracy survives.

After the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked what form of government this new Constitution had created, a republic or a monarchy? He replied, “A republic if you can keep it.”

In 2024 Heather Cox Richardson “reminds us that democracy is not a static institution but a living evolving process that requires constant vigilance and participation from all of us.”

What we each do matters!

On September 11, 2024, Rick Hanson’s post reminded us that we vote in lots of ways. I urge you to read his post – Rick Hanson, PhD where he describes the many ways we vote. We vote when we fill out our ballot and drop it in a ballot box (or in a postal box for the millions of us who now vote safely and securely by mail as we do in Oregon).

We vote with the choices we make like signing a petition or donating to a cause or candidate. We vote when we seek out facts rather than fall prey to disinformation. We vote when we confront bad faith.

Hanson states, “Telling the truth and playing fair are the foundation of all relationships – from two people in a couple to millions of people in a country. Lying and cheating are not tolerated in sports or business. So why do we put up with them in our politics?”

Who We Can Be

Shortly before his death in 2020, John Lewis wrote, “Democracy is not a state. It’s an act.”

Let us be voters who act with courage and choose democracy over party or policy. Millions of Americans are voting this year for democracy!

Let us vote for democracy rather than autocracy in 2024!