Millions of Lives Are Literally on the Ballot

Last updated on: October 24, 2026 at 10:13 am by Julie Nichols

Millions of Lives Are Literally on the Ballot 2026-10-24T10:13:36-05:00 Julie Nichols

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Over the Trump era, especially since Trump 2, people have asked me why I’ve become so political when I was practically a-political prior to Trump coming along and why I’ve come out so strongly against Trump/MAGA. These are actually fair and honest questions.

It boils down to, politics decide whether people live or die, and I didn’t understand this prior to 2016 like I understand this now. Elections didn’t impact me personally enough, the sphere of the disability community I worked with enough, and my family enough until Trump/MAGA came along. I’m ashamed that I didn’t understand this prior to 2016.

My family’s lives and the lives in the disability community are on the ballot just as every other minority group is on the ballot. The humanity, dignity, and lives of so many people are at stake. The Republican party of the Bush Administration who signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law is not by any stretch the Republican party of Trump and MAGA today who is trying to strip life-sustaining supports, rights, and human dignity from millions of vulnerable people that Bush Republicans wouldn’t dream of harming. Members of the Bush family are supporting James Talarico, a Democrat. This should tell us something profound.
I’m not praising past or current Republican policies because I now understand that a number of Republican policies are fundamentally flawed when it comes to vulnerable populations. It is why I finally became a Democrat in the early part of the Trump era over the last decade. The Democrats have their flaws too, but at its core, the Democratic party fights for the little guy to have human rights, financial safety nets, and human dignity.
Every time an election comes around, many people like the families I serve as a disability provider wonder if their children will still have life-saving healthcare if a particular type of candidate is elected into office. Essentially, many families with disabled family members wonder if their children will live or die if a particular candidate is elected into office. Many families wonder if their disabled family members will be forced into an institutional setting instead of being able to live, go to school, and work in their communities. Many families of LGBTQ+ kids/young adults wonder if they will have to flee their home state or even the country if a particular type of political candidate is elected into office. If a Christian claims to be “prolife” but has no concern for the child after he/she is born, this is hypocrisy of the highest order.

Yeah, I’m totally ashamed that I was not more awake prior to the Trump era. I should have been actively signing up people to vote and being politically active although I was too busy raising a family and working. As James Talarico says, “in politics, if people are not invited to the table, they will be on the menu.” Voting and elections are sacred in nature because life and death decisions are being made, literally.

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