Celebrating Democracy & the Vote

Preface: I am a registered independent voter, who has been both a registered Republican and a registered Democrat in recent years, because, in Florida, one is required to register for a party in order to vote in primary elections. And my preferred candidates are not defined by the parties with which they are affiliated.

It’s different in the United States: American elections allow a one to vote for individual candidates, and do not require a voter to choose an entire party slate. This year, as most, I proudly split my vote among candidates from the two major parties (and when I lived in NY, from among a list of several parties’ candidates).

Choosing: I totally confound people from the left and the right (and frankly, from the neighborhood in which I live). Because, in my selections for who I want to lead and represent me, I have very specific criteria. And because politicians are gonna politic, it’s sometime less about their stands on the issues, and more about the degree to to which I’m ready to trust an elected official when they go into the debates, negotiations, horse trading, and compromises that are part of our democratic processes, in the US, Israel, and every other democracy.

Here is what I voted for, and I hope that my criteria will help the reader to develop her/his own criteria:

1. Personal and professional integrity are foremost. My current elected officials include people who have committed sexual offenses, fraud (including defrauding the government), theft, bribery, and more. There is no candidate who gets my vote if these types of crimes are in their background (regardless of whether they were proven guilty, or negotiated a deal and were never formally convicted). Give me public officials that can be trusted in the processes in which they’re involved.
2. I choose the builders over the destroyers: A candidate who want to do nothing more than tear down their opposition, the opposing party, or their predecessors, doesn’t get my vote. The candidate who is positive about the future, respects opposing opinions, and has a vision for what s/her wants to build is going to be my person.
3. All societies must be judged on how they treat their most vulnerable members. That means that I’m willing to have everyone, including myself and including the wealthy, pay their fair share in taxes, if it means that we address poverty, homelessness, mental illness, needs of the elderly, hunger, and child welfare.
4. My government needs to guarantee the safety and security of all, while being just and fair in the administration of law enforcement and the justice system.
5. Give me leadership that consistently chooses peace over war. I’m not an absolute pacifist, but I want to know that all government officials are committed to working towards peace and conflict resolution, both within the country and internationally.
6. The existence and autonomy of foreign countries must be respected. While my country will choose to influence how other sovereign nations rule, and in rare occasions might use force, let’s start from the position that other nations, particularly those with democratic processes, are to be respected. Anyone advocating for the destruction of another country is an automatic “no”.

So, while some of the candidates I would have liked to see elected were voted in, and others were not, I stand in absolute respect for both the United States and Israel, for holding free elections in recent days, and giving their citizens the right to choose.