The Very Least—and the Very Most—We Can Do

Four years ago this month, the Co-op used the term “Stronger Together” in a headline. A reader objected to our use of the Co-op newsletter to make a political statement. As the editor at the time, I was confused. “Stronger Together” has been the logo of the National Cooperative movement for years. It has been on our flyers, our Deli table literature, even our Deli napkins, and takeout containers. Then I realized that “Stronger Together” was also a recently chosen slogan of one of the presidential candidates.I am remembering that story this year, as National Co-op Month arrives along with election season. And I note two things: first, the unexpected trajectory of 2020 has emphasized that those of us who work at, shop at, and belong to co-ops are definitely stronger together.

Coming to the Co-op in the last months has been a bright spot. I am grateful for all those who cashier, stock the shelves, disinfect the carts, hustle online orders out to the curb, provide ongoing customer service with smiling eyes, and do so much to keep our store clean, safe, well-stocked and welcoming right now. What we know of COVID-19 tells us that they do so at a risk greater than our own as occasional shoppers. In the early days of the pandemic, many of us were quick to acknowledge and thank front line workers. We can keep thanking them—with our patience, our smiles behind our masks, and our willingness to do everything we can to keep them as safe as possible.

And second, I acknowledge that there is indeed a connection between Co-op membership and participating in elections. Co-ops are, at their core, democratic institutions, and we have a role to play beyond that of a shopper. One household=one vote is a primary tenet that guides the Co-op movement. Casting our ballots for the Board of Directors each spring gives us a hand on the Co-op’s tiller and is a way to show we care about our Co-op community, including its hard workers.

Once again, it is October–National Co-op Month, and it is election season. The responsibility and benefit of being a member of democratic institutions is imminently upon us.  The very least—but also the very most—we can do is vote.

I never hear an argument against voting that makes much sense to me.

My vote doesn’t matter: Some people are sure that in such a big system, a single vote doesn’t matter. Yet, the facts don’t agree. Look at the recent local elections in Skagit County. More than one primary election to determine who made it to the general election was decided by less than 500 votes. Nationally, George Bush beat Al Gore in 2000 based on 537 votes in Florida (and a Supreme Court ruling). In a 2017 Virginia House race, the two candidates were virtually tied, and the vote was decided by a random drawing.

There is no difference between the choices: This is rarely true, and it would be a hard argument to make in 2020. Often, the mechanisms of government grind so slowly that we can’t see how those differences play out. But this year, we see immediate, dramatic impact: the policies, priorities, approaches and communication at all levels of government in addressing COVID-19 have demonstrated multiple differences in our choices and in the values of those running for office.

No candidate is perfect—none are everything I want them to be: That is absolutely true. No two cookies are perfect either, but it is possible to utilize some criteria, some scale of what matters most to us, to choose between them. I don’t want to be flippant here, but we make choices constantly between two less than perfect options. If we didn’t, we would be paralyzed (and never eat any cookies).

By not voting, I am making a political statement: Yet no one notices. The world is full of people fighting, literally, for the right to make a political statement by voting. Or fighting to get to the polls and vote. Not voting is a pretty passive political statement.

I won’t vote until everyone can vote: A friend said this to me once. I had to go stand on my head in a corner for an hour to try to make sense of it. What avenues do we have to help ensure everyone has the right to vote? Well . . . we can vote—on behalf of those who can’t—for candidates who value universal suffrage and who work against voter suppression.

It’s just politics—it doesn’t affect me one way or another: I’ll ignore for now my conviction that government affects everyone. Instead I’ll focus on a final, crucial reason to vote. Our own lives may feel relatively stable for now (although that alone seems dubious given COVID); we may feel that we can wait two or four years for another election cycle with candidates we like better, or even that we can scoot through life never casting a vote. But there are those in our country whose lives will be intimately and forever affected by this election. They can’t wait four years. In a democracy, we don’t just vote for ourselves, we vote for what we perceive to be the greater good.

And . . . it turns out that I can’t ignore the fact that government affects everyone. That’s clear even at the county level. County commissioners, for example, have responsibility for county roads, public health and safety, emergency services, parks, flood control, zoning, land use, environmental regulation, and more. Two of the three positions—a decision-making majority—are up for election this year. The Skagit Public Utility District may not sound glamorous, but it too has influence in areas that matter daily to all of us: electricity, water, sewer and telecommunications. It also has two positions up for election.

Our democratic institutions, from the Co-op to the government, often seem to roll along without us. Yet we are needed. We are needed to show up, willing to participate, willing to be kind to one another. And willing to cast our votes.

The voting period in Washington State runs from October 16 to November 3. Every registered voter should receive a ballot that can be mailed in or dropped off at an official ballot dropbox. You can register to vote by mail or online up until eight days before election day. (Applications must be received by October 26.) You can register to vote in-person through election day. However, this year, with all the possible complications of COVID-19, it is highly recommended that you register and vote EARLY. Don’t wait until the last minute to be sure that you are registered and have voted. More information can be found at https://vote.gov/register/wa/For information on local and state races, search for “Voter guides WA State” or “Voter guides Skagit County” online. by Beverly Faxon