1: You Should Vote

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 we all have a choice. We can make arrangements and head to the polls or we can sit on the sidelines, leaving our future to other, more active citizens.

Here’s the deal – voting is pretty cool. A lot of people fought for many years for women and African Americans to have the right to have their voices heard and their opinions count.

And all in all, we have it really good. Voters in other countries, like Afghanistan, face terrorist violence when they head to the polls and despite that many still head out. What’s our excuse?

I know a lot of us are frustrated with our options this year, but that’s not going to change. Whether you are picking your dream team or the lesser of two evils, don’t assume anything. Yeah, the polls probably won’t come down to your vote, but what if it did? Who would you choose? Go make that choice on Tuesday.

2: Be Prepared

Beyond showing up, we need to be smart about what we’re voting on. It’s not just the president on the ballot, Missouri’s ballot is long and covers a range of issues including local issues regarding our libraries, transportation, and parks.

Check out these resources for more information:

3: Stay Cool

I think my friend, Dana Bartimus, said it best in her blog post covering fall and the presidential election last week:

“And yet some of the very people I disagree most with over politics have been the most loving of friends during my difficult hours. That is where our hope as a country lies.”

She went on to say:

“Each of us is more than our politics, our gender, our age, our zipcode. This fall we have an opportunity to change the way we communicate with one another. We can try to see our fellow Americans as real people, not memes. People who are trying to do the best they can, under a variety of circumstances -few of which are broadcasted on social media (unless they are shiny, happy ones). We need to talk more, type less, listen with our hearts open.”

So no matter what we wake up to on Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 let’s keep our heads up, let’s respect each other. And if things didn’t go your way, there’s always wine.

What resources or inspiration did I miss? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.