Question
What do people who vote differently than you misunderstand about you and the way you vote?
Answers
Carl (conservative): I’ve always considered myself a “happy warrior” when it comes to discussing politics. I enjoy a good debate but politics has become so toxic that I tread lightly these days when speaking about current events with people I don’t know well so I’m not sure I can answer this question accurately. I can only assume, based on how conservatives are too often portrayed by liberal politicians, whose rhetoric is then left basically unchallenged by a sympathetic media, that the average liberal voter probably believes I am part of a “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic…basket of deplorables” (Hillary Clinton) and that I spend my time “bitter” while I “cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like me” (Barack Obama) and that because I don’t vote Democrat I am therefore a “threat to democracy” if not downright “semi-fascist.” (Biden)
Scott in Rochester, Michigan (conservative): I vote with the facts in hand but primarily for my children's future: Fiscal responsibility of the government. Each of us is created equal and should be treated equally. Making sure our infrastructure is solid so that businesses / families can build for the future.
Joe (conservative/moderate): That my vote for Trump is not about personality. Rather it is about outcomes. Here are 2 examples:
1) During Trump we had world peace, and under Biden we had a war in Europe and 3 wars in the middle east.
2) Under Trump we had low inflation and mortgage rates around 3% whereas under Biden we had inflation and mortgage rates around 7%.Liz in VA (moderate): Everyone has their own "frame of reference" when voting. For some it's fear of change, for some it's loss of acceptance (if I vote X then I will be ostracized), for some it's fear of eternal judgement, for some it's the selfish --I have mine and why do I care about anyone else. When I vote I think about four things:
1. Do I morally/ ethically support this?
2. Is this right for the country/ world?
3. Does this help others?
4. Is this the best use of resources?
I do not care what other think, and if the vote will help others achieve what I have been given or what is possible, that's the best possible outcome. I'm very much a "longer table not a wall" person.Geoff Wise (centrist): If the candidate I support has a position on issues A and B, people assume I am aligned with the candidate on both issues, especially on the issue those people have the opposite opinion on.
Nina (moderate): My main message to people who vote differently is the importance of prioritization. Before one considers any policy stances, one needs to determine if a person is fit to serve. For multiple reasons, Trump is unfit. One can argue that Biden is not 100% fit (and I’m not thrilled about the lack of alternatives), but I think he will continue to do the job to the best of his ability and get help as needed. Trump will not. Put another way- Of the two candidates, there would only be one that you would allow to babysit your child- and I can not think of anyone I know, even those who are much further right than me, who would give a different answer than mine. If that’s the case- the rest does not matter.
John from Michigan (independent): I am not sure if I am misunderstood, but I imagine that my thought processes are not necessarily typical.
For instance, I don’t equate limiting someone else’s rights with protecting my own. I am not a member of the LGBTQ community, and I don’t understand what it is like to be one of them. But legalizing gay marriage was a step forward on delivering on the promise of freedom that our country is built on. What must it be like to not be certain of your gender? I don’t understand it, and it can’t be a positive experience. Why would anyone choose that situation willingly? I think we need to support these people, not attack them. Protecting their rights does not reduce my own.
In recent years, I have tried to spend some time imagining what it must be like to be a minority in our society. What does Christmas (and the months leading up to it) feel like if you are Jewish? Reading the book Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson was a real eye-opener for me regarding our country’s treatment of the black community, and it changed the amount of attention I put to that issue.
America is becoming more pluralistic, and I believe the promise of America is that we can figure out how to protect everyone’s freedoms as we evolve as a country.
Maggie Smith (liberal): Let me share an experience I had as a poll worker which may represent our current voter. I accidently pulled the wrong voter file during our state Presidential primary. Two voters had the same name and lived at the same address. I was confronted by the erred voter who yelled at me and began reciting conspiracy theories about our supposed error ridden voting process. Since I have been trained as an election official, I know that these theories are inaccurate. There are many checks and balances in our voting process that will correct such an error and confirm this voter's valid registration- which we did and she voted. So many lies about our voting process have been reported by those same media outlets noted in my response to the previous question that it is truly believed by many of our voters. I vote on the issues 80% of the time and look for a candidate who can address these issues best.
Dan Mariano (progressive-leaning liberal): I think most people don’t understand that my vote is not an expression of my entire being. While it is an expression of what I believe is best and moral for the nation, the act of voting is a pragmatic political action.
I will vote for not just the President, but for their administration from the cabinet down to the obscure bureaucrats that share the prevailing ideology of those I wish to see in government. As an example, I am voting in part to change the ideological make-up of the Supreme Court, which is the only means I and every citizen have of doing so.
This post is part of a Q&A series with voters who have volunteered
to share their perspectives leading up to the November 2024 election.
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Here's the thing that people may misunderstand about the way I vote these days:
I don't vote for a party (I am unaffiliated after 40+ years as Repub.); I am conservative on some issues and progressive on others, but that doesn't make me a centrist; I don't vote for women or caucasians of European descent or Christians or straight people just because I am all of those things. I vote for the candidates who best understand and respect our American democracy and the rule of law - that AND ONLY THAT. That's how I vote these days - and I would encourage every voter to do the same in future elections for ALL elected officials. And I would then ask them to stop dividing Americans into "buckets" and realize that in a democracy, the responsibility falls to us to vote and to defend and preserve democracy first and foremost- especially these days..