The Discipline of Hope: Perspectives on Voting in 2024
J. Cottle is the Executive Director of Dunamis Boston as well as a writer, producer, and thought leader in the Boston area. He has served and supported vital civic engagement efforts through MassVote and today he brings us his perspectives on the importance of voting and relentless hope in the face of a broken system.
I spent about 5 years working in voter advocacy/election reform work, and what I can say is that the last 24 years has fundamentally changed the experience and discourse around politics and voting. Of course this is nothing new to you. It’s obvious to us all how fragmented we’ve become, how there seems to be a growing gulf between parties that devolves into canyons between friends and families. And these feelings are at their peak during election season.
All of a sudden, we’re asked to be pundits and policy experts, we wade through the trenches of mis and disinformation, we make our campaign donations (or ignore those texts altogether) and take on strangers-arguing over who to vote for, whether or not to vote third party or whether or not to vote at all. War, genocide, poverty, bodily autonomy, safety, education, human rights, immigration, our planet’s existence, artificial intelligence, democracy itself is on the ballot! It’s all equal parts exhausting, infuriating and terrifying. Disillusionment and apathy makes sense.
“But J”, you might ask, “isn’t this blog post meant to convince us to register and participate? This is depressing, you’re not very good at this.”
Give me a moment and let me cook! I had to set the scene!
As I mentioned, I spent the early part of my professional life in this work, and I find that truth and authenticity are some of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal. Elections, and our current political landscape, are not sunshine and rainbows. In fact, the system is broken.
My job got really difficult in 2020. Folks that barely believed in voting to begin with now saw it as a hollow gesture, or even worse, a tool of the oppressor. And the folks that had been advocates, that had been steeped in social change work, were exhausted and depleted - struggling with their mental health and watching as fights we had won were steadily rolled back. Somehow, I had to convince them to stay on, and reader, the plot twist here is that I was feeling all of that too.
Was any of this worth it? This dysfunction and harm was by design. These systems were only ever created to harm me. My rights were amendments. Maybe it was time to tap out.
And then I came across this quote:
“I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism. I choose fortitude over fatalism. I choose to be who my ancestors protected and my creator formed. I choose strategy and organizing as the container for my anger. I choose to be more than a conqueror.”
— Brittany Packnett Cunningham
And then I stumbled onto this poem:
“When the haunted house catches fire: a moment of indecision. The house was, after all, built on bones and blood and bad intentions. Everyone who enters the house feels that overwhelming dread, the evil that perhaps only fire can purge. It’s tempting to just let it burn. And then I remember: there are children inside”
— Voting as Fire Extinguisher by Kyle Tran Myhre
And then I recall my training:
Movement Ecology is a framework introduced to us by the Ayni Institute that helps folx understand and analyze the 5 distinct strategies that arise when attempting to make social change. One of which, “Inside Game or Leveraging Dominant Institutions”- includes voting.
Cynicism and despair were easy. All they wanted from me was to do nothing. Hope, I learned, wasn’t just a feeling, it was an intentional act, and one that required discipline from me. It was important that I find that discipline because the stakes were greater than me and my little life. Could I really live with myself if I told all the folx younger than me that when I had the chance to fight for their rights and their planet and their futures that I just threw in the towel? That I decided to let it all burn?
Voting is not the end all be all. It is not a magic wand. But in the multifaceted strategy that is required for lasting social change, it is an indispensable tool. Whether or not we want to engage with this system, this system will engage with us. This system controls our roads, our schools, our water, and our air. It determines who we can and cannot marry, what we can and cannot do with our bodies, who can and cannot call this place home. Very often this system can even decide whether we live or die.
Those local judges that have been voting against your interests? Elected.
The district attorney that decides not to file charges? Elected.
Your local school board? Most often, elected. If not, they’ve been appointed by the people you elect.
The hard work of social change doesn’t start with your vote, and it doesn’t end with it either, but it’s a critical part of the continuum of what it means to be an active citizen.
With the deadline to register to vote looming, I ask that you remember that democracy, much like hope, requires discipline.
It requires you.
-J. Cottle
Voter Resources
Every state has a different system, but you can check out vote.gov to find information about your specific state and either check, update, or begin your registration. This resource can also help you find where your poll is located!
This election is not just about the presidential race, so be prepared for what is on the rest of your ballot! Ballotopedia has a ballot sample lookup tool that will not only show you what will be on your specific ballot, but also provides a detailed version where you can see what bills are being funded by who as well as some background and resources on the candidates on your ballot.
Are you located out of state or out of the country? Check out this resource on absentee voting. Simply select your home state and you will be directed to your specific states information on acquiring an absentee ballot.
