The Family That Votes Together 2024

Last Sunday, our family drove over to the Sol Goldman Recreation Center in Red Hook to cast our votes early. It just felt right that we were doing this together, just as we had done four years earlier, at the height of Covid.

When I was growing up, my mother took us with her to the polls and told us to wait outside the booth while she voted. I could see her feet peeking out below the curtain but I never saw who she turned her levers for. When she parted the curtain and came back out, we would ask her who she had voted for; she always replied that that was none of our business. My mom really valued her privacy as a voter.

We, on the other hand, had a voting buddy with us this time around: my extremely bright, politically astute 12-year-old nephew Jonathan, aka Jono. He was privy to all our selections and got a good look at each of our ballots. I have to admit that voting this time around was a pretty heavy experience. I’m known to be a rather emotional person but I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so emotional while casting a ballot. And so while I said a silent prayer and fed my ballot into the scanner, my sweet nephew gave me a comforting pat on the back.

The poll workers were all so kind and gave my nephew a “Future Voter” sticker. On our way out, the workers thanked us for voting. I answered that there was no need to thank me. Indeed, I could not wait to vote! And like my mom, I won’t tell you who I voted for but I will say that the person I voted for embodies intelligence, integrity, competence, empathy, morality, eloquence, civil service, respect for the law, and a clear understanding of the Constitution. The candidate I voted for does not espouse negativity, racism, an affinity for dictators, or threats of retribution or violence. I would think that everyone would want to choose a candidate with those qualities, no matter what your party affiliation may be.

A few weeks ago, my husband was approached by a dog-walking neighbor as he was watering the front garden first thing in the morning; she told him repeatedly "you're probably voting for that communist." He told her he didn’t know who she was talking about. For the record: the person we voted for is not—and has never been—a communist.

While having breakfast with my nephew before we voted, I told him that he should know that the type of politicking that has been going on for the past decade or so, since he was just a toddler, was not normal. I said that for most of my lifetime, it was perfectly fine to have different political leanings but that things had never been so hateful and volatile, and that name-calling, incivility, and lying had never been as extreme as they are now. He told me "I know that Titi." I told you he was politically astute.

In the last couple of months, I wrote a total of 100 letters encouraging people in swing states to vote and/or register to vote. It felt good to do something proactive instead of just worrying incessantly. And, of course, I've been praying and will continue to pray, as I did when I was casting my ballot. Truthfully, I never really prayed for the things I pray for nowadays, things like enlightenment, justice, and an end to divisiveness. And while I’m not much of a novena person, I actually started an “Election Novena.” I’m currently on day four of a nine-day prayer cycle. I pray that my young nephew, my grown sons, and all of us will be able to continue to live in a country where our democracy will be preserved, where our hard-won freedoms will be protected, and where we can be proud of our leader. Amen!