With President Trump in office and the political divide sharper than ever, the pressure to head to the polls for the midterm elections is high. That pressure is hard to ignore with all the vigorous voter drives and social-media-powered campaigns encouraging political engagement. Indeed, early voter turnout so far has dwarfed 2010 and 2014 early turnout all over the country, suggesting the electorate is invested in this midterm cycle. But despite this increased interest, many will still sit the election out. Even if 2018 voter turnout matches that of the 2016 presidential election, around 40 percent of eligible Americans will have decided not to vote.
But it’s a useless endeavor to make these folks feel guilt for not participating. Instead, we should ask ourselves why they aren’t.
For the past month, I’ve canvassed hundreds of undecided voters in the Dallas area to support Republicans in several local races — yet many of these folks have expressed antipathy to voting altogether. The most prudent nonvoters want to dedicate as much time as possible to things within their control, including their career, families, and charitable work. Of course, some express regret that they haven’t had time to deeply research the candidates and issues, but they have better things to do.
[Also read: Early voting boom: 27 states exceed 2014’s pre-Election Day totals]
We should be thankful some citizens know voting is something that should either be done well or not at all. Implicit in this admission is that we all have limited energy to pursue our priorities and enjoy the best parts of life. Do the best parts ever really include politics?
Some people raise waves of foster children. Some people start social-benefit businesses, while others start experimental schools. Avoiding politics could be the civic equivalent of “choice minimalism,” freeing up energy and head space for chosen and important pursuits.
By and large, people are better equipped to make good decisions about their lives than politicians. Does democratic abstention make people more efficient in other areas of their lives? There’s no evidence for that. But there are certainly a lot of people who believe so and adjust their lives around that belief. The news cycle overhypes election days, which are a minuscule fraction of our lifespan. Fixating on election coverage and election results at the expense of daily life is like spending all your money on your wedding with little to devote to your married life afterward.
Your most productive neighbors could never vote even once and still be of great service to their community. Let’s say someone wants real school choice: They should help build the alternatives to a heavily subsidized and inefficient public school system. Public opinion won’t change on its own. If a voter wants to decrease government spending and reliance on welfare, they should support those who are less privileged in their community. Many libertarians and conservatives need to focus less on disruption of current government structures and more on creation — if not financially, then at least rhetorically.
Permissionless innovation and activism have historically been as important as elections in America, because politics exists downstream from culture. Civil rights activists shifted public opinion before their electoral victories. Economically beneficial innovations (the Internet and social media are perfect examples) were often adopted despite bureaucratic opposition.
Sure, a single vote is ideologically meaningful. But as Charles C.W. Cooke notes in National Review, career partisans want you to be overly afraid of their political opponents. No matter what, the results of this year’s elections won’t be the end of the republic, whether the “wave” is blue or red.
I am perfectly aware of the dangers posed by socialism from the Left (which I am currently paid to defeat) and the perils of right-wing authoritarianism revived by Trump. However, when inserted into the spectrum of possible political positions, ranging from anarchy to totalitarianism, America’s major parties are much less polarized than many assume.
For example, both major parties treat private property flippantly for their political agendas. Democrats are more likely to raise taxes, while the current Republican administration is riding roughshod over landowners on the southern border. On the bright side, both Democrats and Republicans see “Big Government” as a bigger problem than “Big Business,” according to a 2016 Gallup poll, meaning they distrust a centrally planned economy. Even American “socialists” appreciate things like entrepreneurship and open competition.
Putting the relative importance of voting in context makes it clear it isn’t a “sacred duty.” Rather than being a futile objection against an imperfect two-party system, not voting can serve as a personal reminder that you have to build the world you wish to see.
If you find yourself not voting on Nov. 6, ask yourself why not? It isn’t an exhausting task. But more importantly, what can you do instead? The options are endless.
Joshua Hardman (@headwingnews) is a Young Voices contributor.
