Let’s get something out of the way: this piece is not political. It is about politics, though. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science that I don’t get to dust off very often, so this time of year is always particularly exciting for me.
Just Passing Through
As a military spouse who’s very interested in politics, my status as a permanent transient is frustrating. As a citizen, I take my right to vote very seriously. Accordingly, I’ve spent nearly my entire adult life sending away for and mailing absentee ballots. I’ve never missed a presidential election since I was eligible to vote.
However, I always feel phony voting in down-ballot and local elections. To vote in a local election or for a congressperson who represents a district in which I have not lived in years feels like a weird form of sanctioned voter fraud.
Since I won’t have to live with most of the consequences of these representatives’ decisions – either in the near term or possibly ever – it bothers my conscience to weigh in. Similarly, to engage in the local politics and civic life of an area where I will only live for a few years (at the most) feels just as phony. I can just hear Damien in “Mean Girls” yelling, “She doesn’t even go here!”
All Politics is Local
Many military spouses are familiar with the inconveniences of absentee voting. This year, we get to share that difficulty with our fellow citizens in the civilian world. Moreover, as many Americans are divided by bitter partisanship, we hear voices on all sides telling us to vote.
However, as a student of politics, something else compounds this problem for me.
You see, in my ideal world, we’d all be a lot more engaged in our PTOs, school board meetings, town halls, and civic organizations. Running our cities, counties, and states – and participating in our communities and local organizations – should be so paramount to the way we live our lives that presidential elections and capital-P “Politics” shouldn’t feel so make-or-break.
Presidential election years wouldn’t seem as important because they wouldn’t be as important, because we’d all be busy improving our neighborhoods, towns, and communities.
Bring Jealousy Back to American Life!
Under the separation of powers, the way James Madison conceived it in The Federalist Papers, each branch of government is supposed to be so “jealous” of its own powers that no other branch can horn its way in. The men and women in Congress should be such zealous protectors of their rights and responsibilities toward their constituents that who the President is shouldn’t be the be-all-end-all of American life.
As a military spouse and citizen, knowing this makes me feel like I’m not doing my part to uphold the Constitutional order. Maybe this is just a weird collision of civic duty and Catholic guilt, but if I don’t feel like I can truly engage in my local community. And if I’m too disconnected from my actual voting precinct, how am I supposed to send the very best person to Congress to look out for their constituents’ interests? As I said, this is my opinion; I know that there are others who feel it is their duty to vote locally.
Ultimately, I Feel Like a Hypocrite
On the one hand, I’m a passionate believer in local community involvement. On the other, I’m afraid of imposter syndrome. This fear prevents me from meaningfully working for particular policies in whatever community we find ourselves. I mostly stick to inside-the-gate volunteer work.
I don’t have any answers. I don’t have any recommendations. These are my election year frustrations. And if there’s one thing military life has taught me, it’s that if I’m feeling something, chances are, there are other people in similar situations who feel the same way.
