D-Day and the Importance of Voting

All we have to do is vote.

Today, commemorating D-Day, President Biden said, “To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable. Were we to do that, it means we would be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches.”

All we have to do is vote.

Flying home from Boston last weekend, Delta made an announcement at our gate before boarding. They told us there would be two gentlemen on our flight who had fought on D-Day and whom they were flying over for the commemoration. The gate agents passed out French flags and American flags and asked us to wave them and clap when the two men were wheeled to the gate.

And then something amazing happened. Everyone at the gate stood up and lined the path to the gate. People smiled and chatted with each other, estimating what the two men’s ages must be now if they fought on D-Day and talking about how much they appreciated their service. Moms explained to their children what was happening and what it meant as the children waved the flags. It was an odd moment in present day America, a moment where no one cared about politics or party, just about being united as Americans in a singular and very unexpected moment.

I miss that America. It’s what we’re all working to regain in the coming election. It’s what we mean when we talk about keeping the Republic.

Two amazing men. It was a real honor to get to shake their hands. They and their generation fought so that we would have the ability to vote. Let’s remind people we must not squander it.

Sign up here to learn about becoming a poll worker.

Help people get a form of identification that will allow them to vote in the 34 states that require some form of voter ID.

Encourage people who aren’t already to register to vote. Check your registration status, which is especially important now that many states “prune” their voter rolls, sometimes shifting active voters into inactive status, requiring the voter to vote a provisional ballot and jump through extra hoops to make sure it gets counted. You can also check it here.

Check in to see all the races on your local ballot so you can educate yourself before you vote. All of the races for local judges, school board members, and so on are every bit as important as House, Senate, and presidential races.

Sign up to write postcards to voters in close races.

Here’s a great link for people under 18. If they sign up, they’ll get a reminder to register to vote on their 18th birthday.

Review the nonpartisan League of Women Voters list of ten things you can do to get ready to vote.

Reread this column on the importance of sharing what you know with younger voters. It’s all in the algorithm!

Friday is the second anniversary of Civil Discourse. Let’s celebrate by getting ready to vote.

If you aren’t already, I hope you’ll consider becoming a subscriber or giving the gift of Civil Discourse to friends as we prepare for the election. Thank you for being here—for reading along, commenting on the forums, and caring about the Republic that we are all a part of.

We’re in this together,

Joyce