By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
It’s that time again, when we get to do what we have come to take for granted, and that is vote. It is impossible to convey what an honor and privilege it is to come to a poll, cast your ballot, knowing your safety is assured, and at least at my polling place, the people are appreciative that you took the time to do so.
I have spoken many times both here in Athens Now and on the TN Valley Spotlight Radio Show on WKAC about what it was like to watch a nation cast its first true vote. That was Iraq, that was 2005, and it still has a profound effect on me. For those of you who are not familiar with that story, here is the elevator version: people were willing to DIE for the chance to vote and proved it by putting a target on their back by having to put their index finger in a small container of purple dye when finished with voting. This signaled in “living color” that they had defied Al-Zarqawi, who promised and, in some cases, delivered death if they voted. They bought coffins, knowing that there was a good chance they could end up in one at the end of the day.
I think most of us have a feeling these days that the attempts to mess with the process of voting that were present in days gone by are largely in our rear-view mirror, and Alabama led the charge in that. Not to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep on this issue, but we need to remember that our state government worked uber-hard to make sure that only registered voters who had the actual right to do so could vote, and their example also helped states across the nation as well.
I don’t have any particular way to freshen this message that is so central to who we are as Americans — that of voting. But let’s clear the air when it comes to slinging around the term virtue signaling and trying to apply it to expressing ourselves via a ballot that was purchased with the blood of our forebears. The term first appeared a little over a decade ago in the UK with the intent of calling out, particularly on social media, the act of expressing a particular moral or philosophical opinion in order to gain the approval of others. Newsflash: you can’t really virtue signal at the ballot box. Ya wanna know why? Your vote is secret, and that is what makes it so powerful. So, go ahead, make your choice, and note that you have to slide it into a machine with no one looking over your shoulder or “liking” what you did. Selfies are not allowed, and memes can’t be made as a result.
Showing up and voting certainly sends out a signal, and that is that your right to choose is guaranteed by people who don’t know you, may not agree with you, and may not care what you think. But they do care that you voted, and Americans would properly say it was virtuous to do so. It is also the least you can do. Go vote, and if you want, be loud and proud about it. Or, keep your choices to yourself. Either way, it is the best way to honor those who fell in battle on your behalf.
