Democracy, Be Mine - Voting Valentine
Blog by Sara Kempner. Artwork courtesy of Kerri Rosenthal
On Valentine's Day, we celebrate love. Romantic love, familial love, self love, friendly love. This year, it’s time to honor civic love as well. Let’s give democracy some adulation. Explore how our relationship with voting parallels our experience with love. Learn strategies to reignite a desire to vote and three ways to get engaged with democracy this year.
Democracy could use our affection and attention right about now. Americans are falling out of love with our system of government. In July 2024, the Pew Research Center reported that 72% of Americans no longer feel that the U.S. is a good example of democracy.(1)
This disenchantment was evident in voter turnout just months later in November 2024.
- Nearly 90 million eligible citizens did not show up to vote in an election that was largely viewed as one of the most pivotal races in modern times (2)
- Both presidential candidates expressed concern that democracy itself was at stake
Nonvoters typically state that they don’t participate in elections due to high rates of political apathy and low rates of perceived efficacy. In other words, perhaps these voters fell out of love and stopped believing in their ability to effect change in their relationship with representative democracy. Indeed, a comparison between voting and loving warrants both a duty of reflection and a call to action.
LOVE, LOSS, AND ELECTIONS
Disaffection with democracy is not just an affliction for nonvoters. Americans who did cast ballots in 2024 may be experiencing some disillusionment as well.
- Voters may experience heartbreak when a beloved candidate does not prevail, perhaps including a wistful feeling of love unrequited by the electorate at large
- Even when a candidate wins, after a honeymoon period supporters might become jaded as elected officials neglect to follow through on pledges and promises
- Constituents may even experience a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” sense of abandonment when elected officials leave office after a term expires
When a civic relationship has soured, there may be a strong impulse to pull back from participating in elections. To the contrary, whether our candidates win or lose, whether our preferred policies become implemented or are discarded, Americans simply can’t give up on democracy. Those moments of despair or resignation are, in fact, opportunities to rebuild our internal locus of control by exercising our franchise.
VOTING IS THE ONLY WAY
Conventional wisdom asserts that it’s better to love and have lost than never to have loved at all. In the same vein, we should vote even when it’s doubtful our preferred candidates will win. Our voices, even when in the minority, are powerful in ways we may not have considered.
- A sizable percentage of voters opposing a winning candidate can incentivize that candidate to accommodate their views
Third party votes are not throwaway votes. Historically, if a minor party gains significant support, major parties often adopt the minor party’s main issues into their platform.
Recently:
- Democrats have absorbed Green Party Issues
- Republicans have absorbed Libertarian Party Issues
Voting isn’t just about getting a candidate into office - it’s about building consensus in the body politic. Our elected officials represent us, so it’s best if they know where we stand.
THE CANDIDATE NEXT DOOR COULD REKINDLE YOUR BELIEF
Perhaps love loss is precipitated by voters focusing on incompatible voting relationships. For instance, citizens often get swept away by the attention and hype surrounding presidential races. It may well be that some Americans’ belief that their votes don’t matter is misattributed - it’s not the vote itself that is ineffectual, it's the expectation that federal offices can address all of our concerns.
Many typically turnout only for presidential elections. Voters pour energy and belief into just a handful of national positions that can’t possibly fulfill all of our civic needs. Could Americans be overlooking a better opportunity for an electoral relationship that can meet more of our daily needs? The type we could find in the candidate next door - the state or local candidate?
These down ballot candidates may not evoke the fatuous attraction of those at the top of the ticket. The majority of eligible voters do not turn out for these races in off-year elections. Yet these overlooked elected officials often have a more direct impact on our day to day lives. State and local influence extends to:
- schools
- taxes
- roads and transportation options
- reproductive health care
- public safety
- social welfare
- environmental conservation
- economic development
- zoning and housing
- licensing requirements for professionals
When we cast ballots for local candidates, we experience tangible results including walking on newly paved sidewalks, getting new textbooks for neighborhood schools, and shopping in revitalized business districts. The visible effects may help us internalize the measurable impact of our votes, the undeniable power of civic participation, and the abiding consequence of giving democracy some love.
Furthermore, our votes count more in local elections.
- Because fewer Americans turnout for state and local elections, a handful of votes may decide a contest
- There is no Electoral College distorting the popular will
- Many local offices have proportional representation or multiple-member districts which increase the likelihood that varied perspectives will be included in decision making
LOVE BEGETS LOVE, VOTING BEGETS VOTING
Turning out for local and state elections can help Americans build belief in the force of the vote. If potential voters start participating at the local and state level and gain a sense of the weight of our franchise, there may be a ripple effect extending to elections that are further from home in the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
Our federal system creates an opportunity for the different tiers of government to have delegated, concurrent and reserved powers over issues that are important to the electorate. There are many opportunities for voters to explore a variety of avenues to effect change or preserve the status quo in our democracy. These elections include:
- Board of Education
- City Council or Representative Town Meeting
- Planning and Zoning Commission
- Board of Finance
- Probate Judges
- County Positions
- Governors
- State Representatives and State Senators
- State Treasurer
- State Attorney General
- Propositions, Referendums, and Initiative Ballot Questions
- And more!
Once inspired by strategic and effective participation, Americans may even become motivated to cast ballots in primaries or caucuses. If the cause of democratic disillusionment is at times caused by disenchantment with the pool of available candidates, why not have a hand in selecting the candidates that will appear on ballots in the general election? It’s akin to swiping right on a dating website.
KEEP THE DEMOCRATIC FIRE BURNING BETWEEN ELECTIONS
We can’t neglect our relationship with democracy between elections. Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity for us to renew our vows in our social contract with America. Here are three easy ways we can fulfill our civic duties:
- Take a Voter Journey with your Valentine or Palentine to get engaged with democracy and to motivate each other to get set up to vote. People are more likely to vote when they know someone is paying attention.
- Tell U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) your own voting love story, especially if you overcame a barrier to the ballot box. You might end up being featured in our YES campaign to inform and inspire other voters.
- Sign up for a Voter Account at US Vote as an act of self love. Voter Accounts are way better than on-line dating accounts! You can sign up for reminders of election dates and deadlines so that you don’t miss the opportunity to vote in the next state or local election. Now that there are fewer local news outlets, it could be easy for the next off-year election to be the one that got away if you don’t receive personal reminders.
The act of voting, like the expression of love, is a demonstration of commitment in good times and in bad. Voting is a declaration of dedication to the preservation of our union, the betterment of society, and our right to self advancement. Love exists when we make it. And democracy becomes more representative with each vote that is cast. Love the vote, and vote the love with US Vote.
- Pew Research Center. “72% of Americans Say the U.S. Used to Be a Good Example of Democracy but Isn’t Anymore.” Published July 10, 2024. Accessed January 26, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/10/72-of-americans-say-the-us-used-to-be-a-good-example-of-democracy-but-isnt-anymore/.
- Alan Kronenberg, "How Many People Didn’t Vote in the 2024 Election?" U.S. News & World Report, November 15, 2024, accessed January 26, 2025,
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-11-15/how-many-people-didnt-vote-in-the-2024-election