Reflections & Dialogue

Thinking About Voters' Celebration Day!

Overall, the actual celebration is for us – the individuals who are granted a right to vote and who choose to exercise that freedom on election days.  The celebration is for groups of individuals who ushered in a sea of electoral change on a federal level during last year’s electoral celebration.  It will be very interesting to see whether, on a local level, people remained in a season of “change,” or if we choose to keep the management of our cities, towns, courts and states the same.

I spent this week speaking with many friends and neighbors to get a pulse of what many were planning to do for Voters’ Celebration Day.  For the persons I’ve spoken with, they are ready to repeat last year and cross party lines to demonstrate their electoral choices in local races in Westchester County and New York City.  Some of the republicans are voting for democratic candidates, some of the democratic voters prefer the republican candidates, and a few of the independent candidates said they wouldn’t know until their moment in the voting booth.  But then genuinely asked, “what did [the incumbent] do anyway?”

The reasons why there may have been an assortment of responses could be attributed to the ages, socio-economic backgrounds and level of civic engagement – particularly the electoral engagement of the persons I spoke with this week.  The research of Neil Howe and Reena Nadler asserts that millennials (individuals born after 1982) have beliefs, values and priorities that present as more progressive and focused on building and shaping an engaged and socially networked society than their older voters.  Further, Lance Bennett’s work on political communication, civic engagement and civic identity offers that generational shifts have changed how we see ourselves in society, politically participate and engage in society, and how our civic activities, due to our generational perspectives, influence our civic identities (i.e. dutiful or actualizing) and our electoral choices.  Finally, the work of Constance Flanagan, Peter Levine and Richard Settersten, entitled Civic Engagement and the Changing Transition to Adulthood, reminds us of how socio-economic status, education and familial and institutional connectedness (i.e. intact families, colleges, workplaces, etc.) are strong predictors to sustained electoral engagement and voting practices from late adolescence through older adulthood.

No one can predict the outcomes of the elections planned for tomorrow, and incumbents and challengers must work until their polls close.  That is true.  However, I wonder if the season of “Yes, We Can!” continues into this season of another Voters’ Celebration Day.  I wonder whether people still see this electoral season as a season of change.  Wednesday morning many persons will assert what the outcomes of the voting results indicate.  Many may even try to tie the outcomes to the current Presidential administration’s work and directives.  However, I focus on what these individuals told me, they want:

1. leadership:  real leadership in their district and not politics as usual….
2. intelligence and wisdom:  people who are smart and not hand-picked by the party….
3. service-oriented:  someone who will enhance quality of life for the district….
4. inclusive and accessible: someone who thinks about the whole county not just one neighborhood…

These and other statements offer that many of these people don’t believe they are receiving responsible leadership from their town supervisors/mayors/county leaders, district attorneys, judges or council members.  Many of these persons want smart and effective leadership, and seemed determined to try the challenger than keep the incumbent. 

Their views are not representative of the public.  But, who knows what will happen on Wednesday morning… the day after Voters’ Celebration Day, where voters chose to stand in the warm glow of freedom to speak one’s mind to the elected and their appointed leadership. 

Can this be a warm up to the 2010 elections? 

Happy Election Day!  Enjoy the celebration and don’t forget to vote!