In an era in which elections are decided on the margins, every vote matters --especially yours. Photo: Shutterstock
Don’t believe your vote matters?
Consider, for a moment, your day. Do you struggle to get to work on time because the train or bus is late again? Are you worried about the next big rainstorm and the flooding it might bring to your neighborhood? Are you discouraged by bad air quality in your city? Or depressed by another boat hitting and killing a whale? Then, you should know your vote matters.
Who you vote into office colors every aspect of your life–from the purity of the air you breathe to the safety of the water you drink. Elected officials at every level devise legions of policies that affect everything from our transit system to recycling laws to the speed at which boats whiz through a harbor. State legislators create rules limiting pollution or creating funds to help clean up after a disaster. Governors can veto bills or sign them into law. Mayors and city and town council members decide the safety of roads, the cost of rent, access to jobs. U.S. senators, representatives, and the president make decisions that affect your health, security, the environment, and ability to earn a living.
So, here’s the thing: If you don’t vote, you give up the opportunity to have a say in all those decisions. And that’s a lot of personal power to give up.
Every Vote Counts
It’s easy to forget how potent your individual vote is. But don’t, and here’s why: In 2016, the winner of a Vermont state primary was determined by a single vote. In Colorado in 2022, Representative Lauren Boebert won re-election by just 546 votes, or a margin of 0.17%. And, of course, many of us are old enough to remember the 2000 presidential election, in which George W. Bush won the state of Florida by only 537 votes. That’s how much every vote counts.
To assume your vote doesn’t matter today, in an age in which elections are often decided on the margins, is an assumption that simply isn’t grounded in fact. Indeed, it could be said that your vote matters now more than ever. Elections face increasing scrutiny around security and accuracy and some voters are being actively discouraged from exercising their right to vote. As elections become more contentious, it’s more important than ever to turn out for them.
Unfortunately, many of us have accepted the fallacy that we are powerless. Studies show that, in any given election, between 35 and 60% of eligible voters don’t cast a ballot. Even those of us who are passionate about environmental causes have been numbed into apathy. More than 8 million environmentalists did not vote in the 2020 presidential election, according to the Environmental Voter Project, which identifies non-voting environmentalists to convert them to voters. Over 13 million of these voters also skipped the 2022 midterms.
According to FiveThirtyEight, a data journalism organization, people who don’t vote are often younger and have lower incomes. They have a lot at stake but often can’t get past systemic barriers to voting and sometimes feel candidates aren’t talking about the issues they care about the most. Not participating sadly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in which candidates don’t tackle issues most important to these groups because no one has put those issues front and center.
Voting is Activism
Environmentally speaking, these last few years have been tough ones. We’ve seen climate change’s effects in dangerous storms, brutal heat waves, floods, and wildfires. There’s no denying the critical nature of our overheating planet. And if we hope to turn things around, we need to elect officials at every level of government who are committed to doing something about it. Using your vote is the only way to make that happen. It may not be as dramatic as joining a protest, but it’s probably more effective. It is your first and best way to advocate for the changes you want to see in New England and beyond. It is the first and best way to protect your children and grandchildren’s future.
It’s Time to Show Up
This election season, let’s take back our power to shape our world. Let’s vote for people with the same commitment to the environment that we have. Register to vote. Make sure your neighbors and networks are registered and ready to cast their ballots, too. Rally friends and relatives to vote, not just in your own backyard but in distant states. Understand that the contours of our days are decided by representatives at every level, local and state, too, and not just by who sits in the White House. According to FiveThirtyEight, people are most frequently moved to vote when they feel they have a personal stake in an election. Make no mistake, this next election will be very personal for all of us.
