In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel said, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”
Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor who had gone on to write the Night trilogy, detailing his and his father’s experience in concentration camps. The heartbreaking narrative is both a record of a horrifying past and a call to action. Eli Wiesel has written his life’s account to show the abuse in indifference. As Americans, if we are not voting towards our moral compass then we are acting against it.
What is more American than not trusting the federal government? It’s in our history to rebel against higher states of power. If you have the power to make changes it is your duty to yourself and your fellow Americans, to your brothers and sisters across the globe to vote. You can and should have issues with your candidate of choice. You should remain vigilant to their actions, their wording, their policies because ignorance aids the oppressor.
What is a single vote against a sea of them? How many of us are going to change our state or our district’s color? These questions leave rampant dissatisfaction at the end of an election. However, more people than ever will be registering and voting this year, which means greater opportunity for voter suppression.
If your ballot means nothing, why are politicians trying so hard to suppress votes? The ACLU has reported that over 400 anti-voter bills have been introduced in 48 of 50 states in recent years, reporting ”these measures disproportionately impact people of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities. And long before election cycles even begin, legislators redraw district lines that determine the weight of your vote.”
Tennessee introduced legal penalties for citizens failing to register with “incomplete applications.” Crystal Mason in Texas was arrested for “allegedly casting a provisional ballot improperly” and battled the legal system for six years before she was acquitted. As recently as Oct. 25, a federal judge stopped a Virginia program that would have prevented 1,600 eligible voters from voting in the election slightly over a week before voting day.
If the fear of democracy being swept under your feet does not threaten you, I implore you to consider the fact that there are senate elections and important bills also included on the ballot. Maryland is voting on reproductive rights in the state’s constitution. Local elections are limited to state populations, so the votes that are cast have more direct input over the outcome.
With all my integrity on the table, I cannot stress enough that each eligible voter in this election must assert their providence. Each of us has a right and a responsibility to respond to the issues around us. Americans are not the only ones who have an election this year. India, the UK, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, France, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran are all also voting, and you all also have a responsibility to vote.
I debated writing this piece because for many of us, it’s too late to participate in the process. Either we are overseas or we are unregistered, but I have heard people doubting whether or not a person’s vote matters and I cannot allow with all the passion that bursting from the seams of my body any of you pushing the narrative that it does not matter. We must take sides.
Fucking vote.
