Voting is an act of faith. And so is inspiring others to vote. If ever there was a time to do it, it's now!
(See my VOTIVATOR choices for Nov 6, 2018)
VIDEO: Why I vote --
"I'm voting because I want what's best for the most possible people," says Erik, a fellow member of my church, Mt Hollywood Congregational UCC in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. Another of our members, David Weinreb, just produced this wonderful set of videos featuring Erik and other Mt Hollywood Church folks briefly sharing why they vote: https://www.mounthollywood.org/ - click at the top on "events": "Why we are voting Nov 8".
Also see this video by our church: Blessing the Hands That Vote - a ritual for churches or individuals can perform, to deepen commitment to voting. Ask people you meet: "With which hand will you be voting on November 8?" Grasp (or anoint with oil) that hand and bless it: "May love (or God) guide your hand to vote for the common good."
In addition to trying to spread this simple ritual far and wide, in order to move hearts to move minds to move hands to mark ballots for the sake of what's best for the most people, I have created VOTIVATOR. I hope you will spread it far and wide, as well:
VOTIVATOR.org is a nonpartisan movement to encourage people to vote on the “buddy system”. Copying the votes of politically-aware people you know and admire is a perfectly legitimate and appropriate way to participate in the democratic process.
For everybody: Join the VOTIVATOR Facebook group. You'll be part of a community of folks who are voting on the "buddy system".
For informed and committed voters: become a VOTIVATOR: create your own personal VOTIVATOR Facebook event and share with your friends your voting choices at each election.
For those who haven’t voted much or at all, and feel uninformed about the issues: VOTE WITH YOUR VOTIVATORS. Find people whom you respect, who share your values and care about the issues that matter to you, and get “votivated” by them. Ask your informed friends for voting advice - get their lists of voting choices. You can find some of your VOTIVATOR friends at the VOTIVATOR Facebook group. Later, as you get more informed, you may become a VOTIVATOR yourself.
The greater the number of people who vote, the more politicians must pay attention to voters and respond to their concerns. Voting with your VOTIVATOR increases your VOTIVATOR's influence with politicians and political activists. And as your VOTIVATOR’s profile is raised, your influence on the political process increases with theirs.
For VOTIVATORS:
BEFORE EACH ELECTION, create an "Event" on Facebook. Title: “ (your name): VOTIVATOR – Vote With Me November 8”
In “details”, write how you plan to vote in the upcoming election. List each elected office by district number, each ballot issue, how you will vote, and a brief reason for your vote. Keep it short. Make reference to your sources of information – how did you learn about the candidates and issues? Add recommendations of websites for people to use for further information. Be sure to invite your followers to join the main VOTIVATOR Facebook group.
In “where”, put the address of your local polling place.
In “when”, put the date of the election.
Check “Guests can invite friends”.
Click to “create your event”. On your event page, paste graphics from Votivator.org. Add more re: the election and your positions on the candidates and issues. Include more sources of information for your friends to use in coming up with their election choices. List Project Vote Smart and SeePolitical.com as hubs for unbiased information and lively videos about elections and voting. (For great resources for encouraging voting by college students, see the Campus Election Engagement Project.) Encourage your friends to invite their friends to access your VOTIVATOR “event” listing of your voting choices.
Invite your friends at the “invite” button on the event page. To get your VOTIVATOR list seen by politicians and political campaigns, in order to leverage your influence with elected officials, “friend” the politicians or their campaign Facebook pages, and invite them to your “event” listing of your voting choices.
May love guide your hand to vote for the common good!