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Saturday at the Gazebo. Two weeks ago it was sunny and about 10 people showed up; last Saturday it was gray and chilly and...about 10 people showed up. We understand that not everyone can come for an hour on a Saturday. There are kids, and shopping, and chores and lots of other claims on our time, YOUR time. We understand. We’re happy you subscribe and read this, and will keep urging you to come and join us, but this time we have a different ask. Young Voters? While we were there on Saturday, some high schoolers came by. One, a boy with a dog, ignored us. The others — two girls — offered encouragement. It was impossible to tell if any of them were about to graduate but we wondered: Would they register to vote? Would anyone encourage them to? Getting registered at the age of 18, and then voting, helps build a lifelong habit of voting, and voting is the most basic way we ensure that this democracy we care so much about isn’t taken away from us. So here’s the ask: If you know someone who’s about to turn 18, talk to them about voting, ask what they care about (climate? jobs? education? something else?) and listen. Then encourage them to register!
The power of our vote is often not fully understood, and yet it can change the world. It elected a new leader in Hungary. It elected a comedian in Ukraine who became a leader who has shown the world what courage looks like. Here at home there is a massive effort to suppress the vote precisely BECAUSE of its power. In primaries, voting is how we move the party of our choice in the direction we want it to go. And if we DON’T use it? We have to take what we get. All those new high school graduates? It’s going to be their world and they should have a say in what that world is like. So if you know someone about to turn 18, make sure they get registered, make sure they get their friends registered. Use your power. Help them find theirs. We’re all in this together. Register here online: https://elections.ny.gov/register-vote
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