Charles Carr has received many honors from professional writers’ guilds including the San Diego Press Club, which has awarded him first place for opinion/commentary the past three years running. His opinions are his own.
Our patriotic chore
Is there a number of miles you can run at the gym and never have to run again? Is there one crossword puzzle so tough it makes you maximum smart for the rest of your life? Or is there one meal you can eat that is so healthy you can become a regular at Greasy Joe's?
Of course not. We all know there are just some things in life that need to be nurtured, tended to; otherwise they atrophy with disuse. Like a healthy body, or a sharp mind.
Or freedom.
It's a pretty good riddle: What is both priceless and free? The vote. Voting is both an expression of our freedom and the way we ensure it at the same time. It's just one of those things we do. And it most definitely is not a one and done.
For those who haven't already voted in some fashion, Tuesday, November 3 will be a glorious day. That's because it's the day the citizens of the United States of America can collectively tell the smug and the powerful to take a hike, if we so choose. Think about it. No matter how turned-off we are by politicians and their antics; no matter how powerless and manipulated we might feel, one incontrovertible fact remains: Every two years the we and WE ALONE have the opportunity to change an entire chamber of congress, the House of Representatives. Every single seat -- all 435 -- is up for grabs. We also get a pretty good shot at completely shifting the balance of power in the Senate. And every four years... you know what happens every four years. We can change everything in a single day. All we have to do, as they say, is show up.
Which is exactly why powerful interests spend billions to influence our vote. And if they can't get us to do what they want, they're more than happy to settle for second best: convincing us not to vote at all, surrendering what is as close to a God-given right as can be conveyed upon a people: the right to self-determination.
Why vote?
If you're a young person, you vote because it's a rite of passage infinitely more meaningful than being able to drive or take a drink. If you do not make your wishes known at the ballot box, you will forfeit all rights to gripe about the decisions that were made in your absence -- decisions that will affect the rest of life.
If you're older, you vote because you understand your responsibility to people who depend on you, and people are depending on you right now like never before.
And if you're the kind of person who doesn't normally vote, consider doing so this time, the first election of America's next 250. Do it because you no longer wish to be identified as the kind of person who tosses in their cards while the hand is still being dealt. And do it because you want to someday be able to say that you personally made a mark to restore the balance to our political system our forefathers intended. Or you didn't.
Who votes? You vote.
If you're reading this in California, you can register to vote online or by mail up to 15 days before Election Day. If you miss that deadline, no worries, you can register right at your polling place, then walk straight into the booth and get to work. If your mail-in ballot is sitting in the "I'll do it later" stack, grab it and fill it out right now. It's not too late. In California any ballot postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day counts, no matter what you might have heard elsewhere. If you need a little inspiration, any number of sites that align with your personal interests are just a Google search away. In the amount of time it takes to binge watch a couple of dumb YouTube videos or doomscroll on TikTok you're done. You don't even need a stamp.
Important note: If you are turned away at the polls for any reason, California and most other states allow you to cast what is called a provisional ballot. Insist on one and demand a receipt.
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The 1970s pop masterpiece "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" contains the haunting line: "It wasn't me that started that old crazy Asian war, but I was bound to go and do my patriotic chore." He wasn't lucky but he was blessed, compared to those in countless unmarked graves, still and silent, scattered across forgotten battlefields. He came back from fulfilling his commitment to freedom paralyzed for life so that we have the luxury of coming back from fulfilling ours wondering what to make for supper.
We have not been lucky the past few years, but we are blessed. It's time for each of us to do our patriotic chore. November 3.