Part 1 – Elections in the time of Corona
I usually try not to share my personal opinions on this blog, particularly when it comes to politics. I like the idea of people reaching their own conclusions after being presented with as many facts and perspectives as possible. I like thinking of my blog as being somewhere people can go for information and inspiration… but I have to admit that I am not feeling very inspired at the moment. And I would venture a guess that I’m not the only one.
I fully respect the stay-at-home order and believe that we need to do our part to protect the vulnerable members of our population in the face of COVID-19, but I will admit that it has left me feeling very disoriented. My days blend together, and the only thing that demonstrates the flow of time is looking at the calendar and thinking about what would have been happening today. Some of those “would haves” have been rescheduled; some have not.
Pennsylvania Elections
Pennsylvania’s primary election was moved from April 28 to June 2, and for the first time the general public is being given the option of mail-in ballots so we don’t have to physically go to the polls. For those of you who have not yet signed up, the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is May 26,[1] and the deadline to postmark your ballot is June 2.
Image credit: [2]
I was thrilled to see the mail-in option finally available in our state, since I am aware that lack of reliable transportation to polling sites is an ongoing issue and results in the disenfranchisement of voters. The other reason it makes me happy is that it gives me the opportunity to consider my options at home, with access to the internet to do last-minute research if I need to. The worst feeling in the world is seeing a surprise race or referendum in the booth and not having the time to consider it thoughtfully. For these reasons alone, I hope mail-in ballots become a permanent option for Pennsylvanians.
For each of Pennsylvania’s elections since 2016, I have tried to put together a comprehensive, unbiased list of candidates on my ballot, covering their education, political experience, and stance on various issues (including voting record, if possible). At the bottom of this post, you will find a link for this election’s Republican ticket, specific to the Pennsylvania Senate’s 37th District and all higher-ballot races up to US President.
NB: I would love to create sheets like this for both parties (especially since I would guess that the majority of my friends, colleagues, and blog readers are registered Democrat), but I usually don’t have the time to do more than what’s on my own ballot.
But here’s the problem:
I usually get on my soapbox around election time and remind people about civic duty and the importance of local elections and primaries. I am always excited to go to the polls and exercise my right to vote (and to do so as an informed citizen)… but I have never felt less motivation or inspiration than I do now, for this election.
Image credit: [3]
The Ballot
Republicans
Maybe it’s COVID-19 that’s contributing to my lack of enthusiasm; maybe it’s the candidates. It’s probably more the candidates. My ballot has six races, four of which are uncontested – and some of these uncontested candidates are not inspiring a lot of confidence in me. I’m currently struggling with what to do in the case of an uncontested candidate I not only don’t agree with, but one I don’t believe is even qualified for the job. I suppose I could just leave it blank or write someone else in, but I’ve never actually done either of those, and I’m struggling with what to do there. Basically, it’s the dearth of decent candidates I find frustrating. I’ve never voted for someone I haven’t wanted to vote for, and I don’t want to start now.
The only race on my ballot that has the potential to be an actual contest is for the District 37 Pennsylvania Senate seat. The race is between a pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-fracking candidate and a pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-fracking candidate. There’s not much difference between them that I can tell, except that one was recently under fire for being photographed with militia members protesting the statewide stay-at-home order.[4] Again, I’m not feeling a whole lot of enthusiasm for either one of them, but the news story will probably be the factor that affects my vote.
The elephant in the room is, of course, the presidential race. If memory serves me right, Bill Weld withdrew from the race around the same time as Bernie Sanders. While many of my more liberal friends were mourning Bernie’s departure, I was mourning Bill’s. Sure, Bill Weld never had a chance of winning, but that isn’t the point – I wanted to vote for him because I think he would have made a great president. He is still on my ballot, along with a candidate I’ve never heard of (Rocky De La Fuente) who appears to have a sanely-moderate, if vague, stance on hot-button issues. Even though Bill is officially out of the race, and my vote will do nothing to change that, I refuse to skip this election and allow my silence to be perceived as tacit approval of an incumbent I don’t support.
(Photo by DEREK R. HENKLE/AFP via Getty Images) Image credit: [5]
Democrats
I know very little about the lower-ballot candidates in the Democratic primary, but there was no way to avoid the coverage of the presidential race, or the online commentary from the many people who are disappointed with Joe Biden becoming their party’s presumptive nominee. Earlier in the year during my extensive travel time, I was researching the six leading Democratic candidates and was so excited about Pete Buttigieg that I was honestly considering switching my party registration just so I could vote for him in the primary. I was deeply disappointed when he dropped out of the race at the beginning of March… and mildly surprised when he quickly endorsed Joe Biden.
The prospect of the primary and general elections this year, amid so much greater turmoil of an economic crisis spurred by a global pandemic, has me feeling uncharacteristically exhausted and demoralized. I know I will vote in this election – my election guide is in the spreadsheet below – but I am concerned about how powerless I feel right now. Next week I will share some interesting reading and listening material that dives into the subject of how our emotions play such a strong role in our participation in politics, and thus the outcomes of elections.
Click here for my guide to federal, state, and local Republican races:
How are you reacting to the upcoming primary? Are you feeling defeated or charged up? I’d love to hear your thoughts below, but please remember to be civil to your fellow voters.
Thanks for reading!
[1] https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin
[2] https://weld2020.org/meet-the-republicans-challenging-trump-in-the-gop-primary/
[3] https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-01-17/democrats-announce-new-qualifications-for-february-primary-debate
[4] https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2020/05/01/Sewickley-council-president-Jeff-Neff-photographed-with-militia-retains-office/stories/202005010156
[5] https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/04/10/week-in-the-news-covid-19-economy-wisconsin
2 Comments
Galen · May 10, 2020 at 4:06 pm
I’m feeling extremely demoralized about this election as well, partly because I’m a registered independent, so I can’t vote in PA’s closed primary, and partly because I don’t like either of the presidential candidates. Since I can’t vote in the primary, I don’t do a lot of research or follow candidates too closely until it’s over, though I did pay fairly close attention to the democratic debates. Whether or not to vote third party, both in general and in this election in particular, is a whole other can of worms.
Alison · May 11, 2020 at 6:31 pm
It has always bothered me that PA independents can’t vote in the primaries, and I’m not sure how we go about changing that at the state level.
I feel like I would be even more demoralized if I had no say in the primaries and then wound up with two candidates I couldn’t stand.