A New Paradigm for Voting
Typically, we vote for a candidate based on how well the individual candidate will serve our interests.
At the same time there is a call in the electorate for political leaders to be less partisan and to work together more effectively. There’s a role voters can play in helping to make that happen - to think about the perspectives that need to be in those bi-partisan conversations over the years to come and be sure to vote into office the people who will best represent those voices. This may mean voting in people who do not represent our own opinion.
This can feel like a risky proposition. We won’t always get our way. What if the leader we are voting for will predictably vote their own way every time without much consultation with others.
It is a risk as a voter that we need to weigh. There are things that we can do, like writing such a candidate a letter or to have lunch with the leader and talk about why we want to vote for them and the kind of dialogue that we’d like to see.
In my community the issue of land use is a big one. I live out in an old subdivision amidst an area that used to be old farms. The developers would love to build subdivisions. Folks like me would like to see our beautiful drives home remain the same. And yet others have made an investment in this property or are farmers for whom their land is their retirement and would like to see a financial return.
This election will likely have a huge impact on land use policy. The general thinking is about who we want to vote in, the developer types or the environmental-types (notice the generalities). Yet if we step into a new paradigm, the question would be a different one, whose voices will be most effective in talking together about this tough issue? And, how can I best vote to ensure all voices are represented?