Today, millions of Americans will head to the polls to exercise one of the most important rights afforded to us as citizens of this great nation. Some will vote Republican. Others will vote Democrat. Still others will cast their ballots for independent candidates or causes they believe deserve their support.
And that is precisely how it should be.
Election Day is about something far greater than political parties, campaign slogans, or the personalities competing for public office. It’s about the extraordinary privilege of living in a country where ordinary citizens have a voice in determining the direction of their government.
It’s a privilege that should never be taken for granted.
A Right Earned Through Sacrifice
The freedoms Americans enjoy today didn’t simply materialize out of thin air. They were secured through extraordinary sacrifice, beginning with the men who stood against the British Crown and fought to establish a nation founded upon the principle that government derives its authority from the consent of the governed.
Those early Americans risked their livelihoods, their families, and their very lives for the radical proposition that people should have a say in how they are governed.
But the story didn’t end with the American Revolution.
The U.S. Capitol Building – Public Doman via Wikimedia Commons
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Generations of Americans have fought to expand and protect the right to vote. The abolition of slavery, the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, the women’s suffrage movement, and the civil rights movement all helped shape the democracy we participate in today.
Their sacrifices are part of our shared American inheritance, regardless of political affiliations.
And throughout our nation’s history, American service members have answered the call to defend the constitutional freedoms that make representative government possible. Many never returned home.
We owe it to those who came before us to recognize the tremendous value of what they helped preserve.
Your Vote Is Your Voice
It’s easy to become cynical about politics. The constant arguing, partisan hostility, campaign advertisements, and seemingly endless controversies can leave even the most engaged Americans exhausted.
Some people understandably wonder whether their individual vote really matters.
But democracy was never intended to be a spectator sport.
President Donald Trump being sworn in on January 20, 2017 at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Melania Trump wears a sky-blue cashmere Ralph Lauren ensemble. He holds his left hand on two versions of the Bible, one childhood Bible given to him by his mother, along with Abraham Lincoln’s Bible. Photo Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Our elected representatives make decisions affecting our families, our communities, our businesses, our schools, and the future our children will inherit.
Participating in that process is one of the most direct ways Americans can make their voices heard.
You don’t have to agree with your neighbors. Nor do you have to share their political philosophy. You don’t even have to like the candidates appearing on your ballot.
What matters is that you have the freedom to make that decision for yourself.
America Is Bigger Than Any Political Party
At That Park Place, we have never been shy about expressing our opinions or standing up for what we believe. That’s part of the freedom of expression that makes this country extraordinary.
But on Election Day, there’s something more important than convincing someone to agree with us.
It’s remembering that we’re Americans first.
The person standing beside you at the polling place may cast a ballot completely opposite to yours. That doesn’t diminish their right to participate, nor does it diminish yours.
Steve Rogers as Captain America – Disney+
Our differences are inevitable. Our commitment to preserving the freedoms that allow us to disagree peacefully should not be.
So today, regardless of your political beliefs, take the time to participate in the democratic process. Remember those who sacrificed so that future generations could enjoy freedoms they themselves were sometimes denied.
Remember that the right to vote is a responsibility worth honoring.
And above all, remember that America belongs to its people, not its politicians.
No matter who you support, make your voice heard. Go vote.
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