Leveraging Your Vote: The Sanctity of Your Vote

2024 will be an eventful year. California’s primary election is on March 5. Ballots will appear in your mailbox at the beginning of February, only a scant few weeks away. This commentary is the first of what I hope will be a series of several articles about how you can get the most for your vote. Step 1 is realizing how precious your vote is.

“The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case.” - Thomas Paine

It is the nature of governments throughout history, no matter how benevolent they may at first be or appear, to accumulate power at the expense of the governed. This is true for a monarchy, a dictatorship, a democracy, or a republic. In recognition of the historical shortcomings of all governments our US Constitution focuses on “We The People”. It stipulates that the people have rights that the government CANNOT take away. It firmly places the government in the service of the people, which is exactly where it belongs. This principle is echoed in our California state constitution, “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.”

Elections are an opportunity to express one’s will, as well as a struggle to remain free. As long as nations have existed on the Earth they have meddled in each other’s politics. 

Our vote defends us from the influence of hostile nations, friendly nations, our own government, and institutions and individuals with money and power who do not share or understand our interests and needs. Such elements as these can be selfish, brutal, and frighteningly methodical when it comes to selecting and implementing their objectives. Their success often has irreversible negative effects on our lives. Whether to protect ourselves from enemies foreign or domestic, or even from our own government, your vote is critical. 

The primary criterion for conviction in a criminal trial is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” The entire society suffers when one innocent person is wrongly convicted and pays with their freedom. Confidence in an election should also be beyond a reasonable doubt. That’s why there is such demand for transparency in our elections. If I enter into a transaction in which my freedom is at stake I most certainly do not want ambiguity about the final outcome of that transaction. The dreadful consequence of a faulty election is that those who move into, or remain in, power are the ones who will set or enforce the rules for future elections, and the freedom of the entire society is forfeit. 

To the extent allowed by California law, county election processes are transparent. Nevada County's elections office staff are friendly and helpful.  I highly recommend taking a tour of your local elections office to meet the people involved, and to improve your understanding of the complex processes that our Elections staff manage and maintain. Observing during an election is still one of the best ways to get questions answered.

In recent years 90-95% of the ballots in our county arrive by mail or drop-box. If you choose to vote in person you walk up to the check-in table, state your name, and then you’ll be asked for your address. If you are not registered to vote you can register on the spot. In 2022 some in-person voters proudly displayed their ID upon check-in, only to discover to their surprise that voter ID was not required!

Every time an illegitimate vote is cast, a legitimate voter becomes a victim. Ten illegitimate votes will rarely change the outcome of a contest, but those ten votes canceled ten other legitimate votes. Each illegitimate vote silences someone’s voice in their quest for freedom. 

The phrase “Easy to vote but hard to cheat” is a set of competing objectives often heard in discussions of our elections. If your vote is sacred then at some point in our efforts to make voting easy we will cross the boundary at which ease of cheating profanes the sanctity of your vote. Indeed, by making the act of voting too simple our voters lose the sense of sanctity of their own votes as well as the votes of others. How can we determine the location of that boundary? Who might impede our efforts to effectively make that determination? Have we already violated the limits of a healthy boundary? 

Be proud of your right to vote. Exercise that right. Be gracious and respect the rights of others to vote. Consider your vote as a service to other citizens, and as an expression of your consideration for them. Jealously guard the sanctity of your vote and the votes of the rest of your community. The main objective is not to pick the winner in every contest, but to make sure that our election system survives with integrity for our children and grandchildren.