The Tennessean echo ~ young people "Rock the Vote"

Two news items caught columnist Keel Hunt's eye this week — each independently on its own but also for the special light the one seemed to cast upon the other. Echo opinion:

Item 1: Reporters for The Washington Post wrote about their findings in Clarksville, Tennessee, quoting many voters they interviewed there who say they refrain from participating on elections.

Excuses ranged from disgust with how some campaigns are run these days to deep frustration with how Washington seems broken. Other interviewees voiced some form of “My vote doesn’t matter.” Ouch.

Item 2: In the news that same evening, I read how in Nashville and Knoxville, for instance, the voter turnout on Wednesday — the first day of early voting — was historically huge for a midterm election.

Davidson County election officials reported a first-day total of 10,249, notably comparable to the 2016 presidential year tally of 12,303 on Day 1 two years ago.

While the Clarksville story was clearly a downer — for all involved, and especially for candidates — the Day 1 turnout this week could be read as hopeful by supporters of either side in the races for U.S. senator and governor, whether your own favorite is a Republican or a Democrat.

'My vote doesn't matter' is a sad excuse

Even in a red state like Tennessee, some surprises may be in store by the time the votes are counted on the evening of Nov. 6, 2018. 

A surge of voters could be the biggest of surprises, regardless of who the winners will be.

Meanwhile, it is important see and understand why so many Tennesseans don’t vote, and the effect that has on so much else. In my view, the “my vote doesn’t matter” excuse is the saddest of all.

That speaks to pessimism, despair, and all the dangers those types of darkness pose for our society. Whatever your satisfaction level with Congress and the president, with our legislature or the governor — whether high or low — pessimism at a time like this helps nobody. Optimism can be a powerful force inside the voting booth, but you and I have to step into it first.

On the sunny side of the street, it is clear that this November election is being fueled in part by new enthusiasm among women and young people.

In Nashville, some 60 members of the Mayor’s Youth Council, students at 23 high schools, have now registered almost 3,000 young voters. This was done in concert with the bipartisan initiative launched by Congressman Jim Cooper, Democrat, and state Sen. Steve Dickerson, Republican.

The student activists are also planning a large “Rock the Vote” party on Oct. 30. The event will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Fulton Complex, near the Nashville Children’s Theater.

Society has the capacity to renew itself

Meanwhile, an unprecedented number of women have plunged into this year’s election process, both as candidates for legislative seats and as volunteers. Some observers had wondered if the enthusiasm of the Women’s Marches might dissolve over time. Clearly it has not.

All of that says much about the energy of activist young people and women, and about the capacity of our society to renew and correct and perfect itself.

I call that optimism, both personal and civic, on a broad scale and in a year when we need as much of it as we can get. As vital as elections are in choosing our leaders, the main thing is what happens between elections and whether those who succeed on Election Day have the capacity to cooperate and collaborate for good policy with other winners across the aisle.

When the few choose for the many, they are making important choices for the rest of us. And that’s how election night can yield “winners” you think are “losers” — people of dubious ability, who share our values not at all.

My parents told me that voting was our duty. Without it, a democracy cannot function properly.

Never stay home when there’s voting to be done.
Keel Hunt has a new book coming this month, "Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the 21st Century and Could Save America." Learn more at www.keelhunt.com.