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Education and Religion
I’m Pagan and I Vote

I’m Pagan and I Vote

Last updated on: July 28, 2024 at 3:34 pm by Rev. Emily Guenther

I’m Pagan and I Vote 2024-07-28T15:34:52-05:00 Rev. Emily Guenther

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I am Pagan and I vote. Even when, or especially when, they don’t want me to.

It is election season for many in the country. August brings local elections not only to Tennessee but to other states as well. Here in Tennessee, we get to celebrate Lughnasadh by making our voices heard at the ballot box. Unless you early voted like I did. And the big election happening on November 5 is already on everyone’s mind.

The Presidential election happening in November is obviously important. It will be life changing. Trump said earlier this week that if he wins the Presidential election, people will not vote again. I think we all understand how important it is to vote in November. And finally, there is some excitement for us liberals and democrats now that Kamala is going to be our nominee.

Women learn to vote at NCR in Dayton on Oct. 27, 1920. NCR ARCHIVES AT DAYTON HISTORY

Vote Locally

It is equally important for voters to vote in local elections. Yes, who the president is, is important. The President sets the tone for the government. But our local elections affect our immediate communities. Local elections for mayor, governor, city council, the school boards, state legislature, as well as elections for Congress are where the majority of us can make our voices heard. It is where we can vote for people who will work for us (or against us) at local levels.

With the federal government’s trend of handing off major decision making to the states, it has become increasingly obvious that we need better politicians at a local level. And the only way to get better local politicians is to vote. No, the city council election is not as interesting as the Presidential race or even the race for Congress. But it is equally important.

At the local level, voting turnout is much lower than it is for Presidential elections. That means that your vote, yes your one vote, could change the outcome of that election. Every vote counts in the Presidential election but locally, our votes are louder and they can help bring forward progress to our cities and counties.

Congress is filled with elected officials that many people feel do not represent their interests. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Marsha Blackburn are constantly in the news for their antics and absurd statements. But they were elected. During a local election.

Author and Husband with Gloria Johnson who is a representative in the TN House and is currently running for U.S. Senate

This is why local elections matter so much. Local elections dictate who has influence and power in your city, your county and your state. Who your representatives in Congress are, who your mayor and governor are, and who is on the supreme court of your state all influence the greater community and the country.

All Governments are Not Created Equal

Local elections are also extremely important in states that cannot bring initiatives to the ballot. A ballot initiative is a citizen-initiated law, issue, or question. The ballot initiative process allows citizens to propose statutes or constitutional amendments, depending on the state, and collect signatures to place their proposals on the ballot for voters to decide. Initiatives get on the ballot when proponents of a proposed law or constitutional amendment gather the required number of signatures from registered voters to bring the issue to a public vote.

TN Voting Sticker

There are about 23 states in the United States that do not allow ballot initiatives. Tennessee, where I live, is one of those states. Approximately 45% of the citizens in this country cannot influence their local government through initiatives or propositions. Being able to bring a ballot initiative to your local government can be crucial, especially for those of us on the fringes. Prop 8 in California made national news when it was proposed. The California Prop 8 was an initiative to ban same sex marriage. This proposition actually passed but was later overturned in court. Prop 64 in California allowed adults to recreationally use cannabis. Being able to put forward these initiatives makes a direct impact on your life.

For the rest of us who live outside of California, or in the 45% of the country that does not allow citizens to propose initiatives, voting for local politicians who support our causes is even more important. We must elect state and Congressional public servants who do just that – serve the public who elected them. That means putting our demands or our requests above their own personal agendas and working hard to represent us in the larger government.

They Don’t Want Us to Vote

Voter suppression is not a new problem in this country. For many Americans, having access to voting has always been a struggle. Over the last 20 years, states have put barriers in front of the ballot box — imposing strict voter ID laws, cutting voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls. These efforts, which received a boost when the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in 2013, have kept significant numbers of eligible voters from the polls, hitting all Americans, but placing special burdens on racial minorities, poor people, and young and old voters.

Example of TN Voting Mao – Wikimedia

The last two local elections we’ve had in my city, I have found it difficult to vote. I don’t mean that I am apathetic about voting or that I don’t know who I want to vote for (Oh I definitely know who I’m voting for). What I mean by difficult is that when I show up to my assigned voting location on election day, that voting location doesn’t exist. Sure, the church is there but it is not a polling location.

I thought I could work around this problem by early voting. In my county, you can early vote at any polling place. I took a trip to my favorite voting location, the same church I have been early voting at all my adult life. Before going, I went on the website for my local election commission to check the hours for early voting at that location. When I arrived, I knew immediately something was wrong. There were no campaign signs in the yard. I did not see any early voting signs. In fact, the building looked abandoned. So I consulted the election commission website again, confirmed that it showed this church as a voting location and then tried to find another one. After an hour of driving around trying to vote, I finally made it to a church that was hosting early voting.

Voting at Church in the South

And why are so many voting locations inside of churches? Perhaps this is unique to where I live. Not all, but the majority of voting locations in my city are at churches. Part of me understands there is a logical reason for this. Churches are on every corner in this city. In the South, churches are like community centers or water coolers. It’s a convenient public space for people to convene at. And, churches are usually closed during the week when voting happens so there are no real schedule conflicts.

Voting Booths

When I was in elementary school, our school was a voting location. And the students loved it. There was a weird kind of excitement knowing people were going to be voting on the other side of the cafeteria from us. This was a break from the routine. I always loved going into the booth with my mom when she voted. She would try to explain to me who or what we were voting on and she would let me push the buttons for her. Now you stand at a machine in a church while the election volunteers look ready to strike you with dragon fire if you dare reach for the notes that you wrote on your sample ballot. And gods forbid you have notes about who you are voting for on your phone. That is a quick way to learn that when they say no cell phones while voting, they mean it.

I Am Pagan and I Vote

I cannot tell you who to vote for or how to vote. I highly encourage everyone to get motivated at a local level and vote for people in your city who share the same visions and will work hard to help move our country forward. I think most of the readers here will share my concerns over the state of the country and how vital it is to vote in November.

Project 2025 is already taking root in many places and it will continue to infiltrate our democracy until we no longer recognize America. And one of the ways we can fight Project 2025 is to vote at your local elections, vote down ballot and vote for freedom and democracy.

As Pagans we have to vote to make our unique voices heard. We have to vote for politicians who want to include us in discussions. We have to vote for those who will help us save the earth. We have to vote for those who will stand by the separation of church and state and for the freedom of religion. We are Pagans. We must vote.

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