United State of Mind, Election Edition

Election day is upon us. For the presidential seat, approximately half of the voting population will win and half will lose. My prayer is that we can win well and lose well.

We the people.

We make this country. We rely on each other. We determine how our fellow citizens feel. In our neighborhoods, in the work place, in schools, and in general. Choosing to believe that anyone who votes different from you is ignorant, or evil, or completely unfounded is ignorant. The issues embedded in politics are MANY, yet we focus on a few. If you can’t hear differing perspectives, that’s sad for you.

Reframing potential post election sentiments:

Instead of:

I can’t believe anyone would vote for (opposition).

Try:

I need to try to understand how anyone voted for (opposition) because I can’t see what people would like about them.

Instead of:

Our country is doomed.

Try:

What can I do to change things?

It seems scary but if over half the population feels safe with (opposition) I trust that we will be OK.

General Reframing

1. Replace FEAR with FAITH

2. Replace DEFEAT with ACTION

3. Replace OVERWHELMED with FOCUSED

4. Replace HATE with LISTENING

1. Fear is natural. There are ways to keep it in check though. A couple techniques:

• Find good people who think differently than you and focus on them. This will help you realize people who think differently are not actually bad people.

• Limit watching political news. It is intended to scare as a persuasive tactic. Don’t be a pawn.

• Have faith that there are enough good people (and there ARE) to keep our country good.

2. Defeat is temporary. Sitting sad about it won’t do any good. Find somewhere to volunteer. Go for walks. Look for ways to help change future results.

3. Minds tend to swirl. Find one or two areas to focus on. Tackle one item at a time. Politics actually have very little direct effect on our daily lives. Think about it. You control your daily action.

4. Again, if (opponent) wins, there must be reasons. Listen to what people are saying. It will not only open your mind, it will likely give you slight peace of mind, even if you disagree. Hearing the positive traits about a candidate will decrease the disappointment about their win.

If your candidate WINS

Congratulations! Now in your celebratory happy dancing, remember about half the population lost. Knowing you don’t hate every person who voted for the opponent, remember they are feeling how you would have felt if your candidate lost. Having people gloat or dismiss your feelings isn’t fun. Show grace and modesty. Have a little mental personal celebration. Share the joy with others you know voted like you. Just make sure you really know they do.

Simply Stated: Voting

“According to a study conducted by Rutgers University and Syracuse University, if voters with disabilities voted at the same rate as their non-disabled peers with the same demographics (age, income, ethnicity, etc.) 3 million more people would have voted in the 2016 election. ”

— The Ruderman Family Foundation

How To Vote

Want to vote? How-To Guide below!

Note: If you have the assistance of a guardian or conservator (someone who helps to oversee legal matters, pay bills, and so forth) they may be able to assist you through the process, including when you visit the polls.

Terms are defined at the end of the post so if you get to a word you haven’t heard before, check the terms list. If it’s not there, drop a note in the comments section.

Register

You have to register (get your name on file with the government) to be able to vote when elections come.

Most states want you registered by October. Exact deadlines for each state:
https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/state-elections/state-election-dates-deadlines.htm

How to register.

Each state has its own process, but here are some basic guidelines.

1) Mail-In Registration

Go to website. Print. Fill it out. Mail it in.

Go to https://www.eac.gov/voters/national-mail-voter-registration-form and click on the link “National Mail Voter Registration Form.” For this method, you need to print a registration form, fill it out, and mail it in. If you don’t have a printer you might ask around since most people would be willing to print a form for someone who wants to register. Just search “voter registration form.” When you find it, it will appear very long but there’s only one actual page to fill out. On the government site it looks like the same page twice but one is for those who prefer to type on the form rather than print, and the other is if you want to print first then write answers.

Basically, just print the page that looks like this at the top.

On the registration form you can scroll down to find instructions for your state. BASICALLY, as long as you meet the main guidelines you can sign up. This is where you find the address of where to mail your form. DO IT BEFORE OCTOBER and you’ll be good to go.

2) Online Registration

Vote.gov is an easy way to get to online registration. Plan ahead because sometimes the website is down temporarily for maintenance. The website will walk you through the steps to register.

1. Requirements

Voting time! November 3rd.

Mail In Vote

In 2020 most states are automatically sending ballots (the form to vote with) to every registered voter. You will mark it then send it back. How will we ever know if it got there? I have no idea, but I hope they are monitoring the process closely. There are many safety measures in place to protect your vote.

Before mail in votes became a big deal because of the pandemic, we only called mail in votes absentee ballots (get it, because you’re absent?). You can still request an absentee ballot regardless of where you live. You just go to vote.org to register to be an absentee voter. It’s really very easy and they just send you a ballot.

In-Person Voting

In 2020, this might not be an option. If it is an option, it’s also very easy. Take your ID with you to the polling place you are designated to (ask a neighbor if you’re unsure, they assign you by where you live). Great news! You can request a sample ballot ahead of time on one of the government websites (search online). Then you can go through candidates and topics with someone you trust to explain them well. Be sure you are doing this with someone who will allow you to vote the way you truly believe, not the way they want you to. You can mark your choices on this sample ballot. Then when you walk into the polling place you simply get in line, show them your ID, then they’ll give you a tool that looks like a pencil but it’s used to tap the screen to fill in your choices (pretty cool!). On a touch screen you’ll mark your choices for each ballot item. When you get to the finish screen, cast your vote then you’re all done! Turn in your pencil-looking tool on your way out and grab a sticker to let people know you voted!

Learning about voting topics (non-persuasive).

DID YOU KNOW…You can do an internet search of your state and request a guide about issues and candidates up for vote? WARNING, some of the language used is extremely confusing, but it’s still helpful. Believe it or not, we can not rely on social media, memes, clever posts from people or commercials to truly inform us. Don’t get caught in the trap of convincing posts! Keep your true voice and vote for what you believe. In order to do this, you need to learn about the issues and candidates.

While they are very important, there is SO MUCH MORE to vote for beyond the president and senators. You don’t have to vote on everything! But you should vote on the issues and candidates with which you’re familiar.

It wasn’t until my late 20’s that I learned you can research the ways presidential candidates voted on issues during their time in congress (if they were in congress). For example, a candidate might say “everyone should have access to fair pay!” and then you might look into their past voting on issues that congress votes on and find out that same candidate voted against a bill to protect fair pay for people with disabilities. If you have time, look into the candidates. Simply use internet searches for particular candidates, searching “voting history on issues.”

When choosing news sources, you can use this media bias chart as a guide to improve chances of receiving reliable information.

Media bias chart

To read the full paper about voting barriers for people with disabilities (copy and paste link into URL bar): https://rudermanfoundation.org/the-ruderman-white-paper-voting-accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities/

If interested, you can learn about mental health issues and who to vote for based on your personal preferences on issues at: https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Take-Action-on-Advocacy-Issues/Vote4MentalHealth/Learn-the-Issues

Be the change, cast your vote! Your opinion is valuable and critically needed. If there are access barriers along the way, take note and let’s work together to remove barriers for the next election! If not you, then who?

Voting Terms

Polling Station: The place you go to vote if you are going in person.

Bias: To lean toward one set of opinions, or to have ideas based on experiences rather than facts

Ballot: A paper form or computerized list of items to vote on

Cast your vote: This just means to vote. “Cast” is the verb we use when turning in a ballot