An Election Unlike Any Other
I’m not a fan of golf. I mean, can you even be a “fan” of this? But while I think that time could be better spent competing in a marathon or napping, my husband is obsessed with it. It’s constantly on the television in our house, and with the Masters Tournament coming up, I keep hearing the phrase “a tradition unlike any other.” And I got to be honest: I can’t get this phrase out of my head, because Election Day will be an election unlike any other.
Between a pandemic that Donald Trump has lied about and completely failed to act upon changing how we access the ballot box, to Republican officials across the country seeking to suppress your voice through gerrymandering, limited polling locations, and rapidly changing rules at the last minute, to the fear of whether Trump really will leave office when he’s defeated, this really is an election unlike any other. But that hasn’t stopped Sierra Club Independent Action and millions of people across the country from working around the clock to make sure every single voter can access the polls and that their votes be counted.
This election cycle, we have mobilized more than 35,000 volunteers, reaching nearly 2 million voters in a variety of ways. Together, we handwrote 1.27 million letters, made 5 million phone calls, and sent nearly 20 million text messages to voters in critical swing states. This not only absolutely shattered records, but we did it completely virtually, having countless Zoom parties as we all got to know each other and shared why we’re working so hard to defeat Donald Trump.
A record number of voters have already cast their ballots, and people haven’t even gone to the polls yet! We know what the polls are saying, but the collective trauma felt from election night in 2016 still lives on in our minds. So today, if you haven’t already voted, please bring three friends who have not done so either and, safely, vote. If you have voted, then go to sc.org/2020 and join me and thousands of volunteers and determined activists to turn voters out.
I can honestly say that I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted by the racist and abhorrent actions coming out of this administration at every turn. I’m exhausted from not being able to interact with my family and friends the way we all should be able to. And I’m exhausted from working tirelessly to elect Joe Biden. But I know that exhaustion likely will not end this evening, and that’s OK.
While we’re working to make this election a blowout referendum on Donald Trump and every craven congressional Republican that’s stood by him, I know that it will take time to count every ballot. AND THAT’S IMPORTANT! The importance of voting is not just to speak out and participate in our democracy, but to have it heard, and that requires counting every single vote.
So yes, while we may have to wait a bit longer than we’d like to know the results of this election, there is one thing that remains true: We are powerful together. This country belongs to each and every one of us, and joining together to grow this movement is what can and will restore the promise of our nation’s democracy and protect our communities and the planet.
This really is an election unlike any other, but after every vote is counted, I’m confident that there will be a Biden administration because of the work all of us have done. And then, while my husband watches golf, I’m going to spend a Sunday afternoon running a marathon… or maybe taking a nap.