Election Day 2022

Hello, I hope you are doing well on this day before Election Day. 

I voted last week – if you haven’t voted yet make sure and get your vote in!

I vote in New York and the suspense is generally not that high – registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York about 2 to 1.  This time though, there is a surprisingly contested gubernatorial race between Lee Zeldin and Kathy Hochul; Zeldin is running on crime and public safety and getting a lot of traction. 

New York is not unusual, as the top issues for Republican-leaning voters are inflation/the economy, immigration and crime/public safety.  For Democrat-leaning voters the top issues are democracy, health care and abortion.  Most prognosticators and polls have Republicans with an edge as their issues are more prevalent in headlines and the national mood.    

It’s telling that voters of the two parties are animated about different issues entirely; in many ways we are having two different conversations on different wavelengths. Around three-quarters of Republican voters say immigration (76%) and violent crime (74%) are very important to their vote.  Only 36% and 45% of Democratic voters see these issues as very important.  On the flip side, health care and abortion are at 79% and 75% importance among Democrats, while only 42% and 39% of Republicans feel the same according to Pew Research.

Even as these two very different conversations gain in strength, most of us live someplace where one party controls everything, as it is in New York.  There are 37 states where one party controls both the executive and legislative branches of government: Republicans control 23, Democrats 14.  The number of states with one-party rule has risen over time; it went up from 33 in 2018. 

 Three-quarters of the country lives under one party or the other.  It’s one reason why so many people are getting agitated and polarized.  The political climate continues to deteriorate, with the most dramatic example being the attack on Paul Pelosi last week. 

Even as the run-up to Election Day highlights the clash between Democrats and Republicans, a poll came out on 538 last week that said that a majority of Americans don’t think that either party has earned the right to govern.  If you have that feeling, you’re among the majority.  

The fact is that most of us know that life isn’t black or white, and real progress will require a different approach than either party currently offers.  Neither has to truly deliver results to eke out a win – they just need their issues to achieve relative importance or the other party to turn people off a bit more.  The pendulum swings back and forth while people become more inflamed and problems get worse not better.

The Forward Party has endorsed 27 candidates around the country, most of whom are running as Democrats or Republicans.  But there are independents such as Evan McMullin who has the chance to change our politics in the U.S. Senate, and I’m writing this from Nevada where I’m campaigning for non-partisan primaries and ranked choice voting on the ballot.  There are opportunities for real change.  Forward Party’s goal is to be on the ballot or recognized in 30 states by the end of 2023.

Even as Democrats and Republicans vie for control of the fraction of contested seats, some of us are working to make this the last Election Day where there are only 2 meaningful choices on the ballot. This Election Day will not resolve the nation’s divisions; it will likely only deepen them.  That’s the dynamic we have to reverse. 

 Vote, donate and volunteer – but at the same time let’s remain focused on changing a system that’s not working.  That’s the real struggle beneath the headlines that more and more Americans are waking up to.  I have the feeling the days after Election Day will be that kind of wakeup call for many Americans.