The views expressed hereafter are all mine. Vote your own conscience and moral basis, if you don’t have any, or don’t know what that means, child, I can’t help you.
I’m writing this as Felicia Baxter, not as your election office, your party chair, or anybody’s neutral explainer. I’ve already voted in person. Early voting in Tennessee has ended, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. By the time you read this Monday morning, the clock will be doing what clocks do: moving whether we’re ready or not.
This election has me hyper alert. Previous elections have carried accusations of cheating and voter fraud. Accusations aren’t proof, and I’m not claiming they are. I can only speak for myself: I want to know my vote was counted and counted for the people I chose.
I don’t know about switching votes. I can’t tell you that it happens, and I’m not making that claim. I can tell you why I felt more comfortable voting in person. The Scantron-style counters I saw made a large-scale switch feel harder to me. I imagine it would take something like a corrupt virus hitting every machine in the country at once. That’s my reasoning, not a technical guarantee. Voting systems differ, so if you have questions about your own, check your local election office’s information.
I’ve never been a fan of voting by mail. That distrust goes back for me to the Bush v. Gore era. That is my personal feeling and history; it’s not evidence that mail voting is unsafe. I chose the way of voting that let me feel most confident about my own ballot.
My history, my perspective
The first time I voted was in 1992, for Bill Clinton. Since then, I’ve consistently voted a straight Democratic ticket based on what I’ve seen the Democratic Party do, especially in this century.
As an African-American woman, I feel like the “golden years”, when it seemed cool to be on the right side of history, when just acting like a human being felt like the baseline, ended with the 2016 election. After that, it felt to me like people decided they could be open about cruelty. I see ill-prepared and unequipped people holding high office, riding on somebody else’s coattails, and expecting us not to notice.
That is my view. You don’t have to borrow it. But don’t ask me to pretend I don’t have one.
Full transparency: the only Republican I ever voted for was George W. Bush when he ran for governor of Texas. Texas has the death penalty and uses it. My thinking was, if you’ve murdered eight people or murdered 22 people, you get what you get, bruh.
I can’t support people who don’t care if they’re on the wrong side of history. I can’t support what I see as the dismantling of democracy. And I can’t support a felon holding what I consider a sacred office. That is my moral line. You get to draw your own, but you should at least know where it is.
Independent doesn’t mean automatic
If you become an independent, that doesn’t earn my vote by itself. I’m going to do my homework. What did you do before? What experience do you bring? Are you capable of holding this office?
If you were once aligned with a party and now you can’t stand being associated with the other one, fine. You can be independent. But I’m still going to look at your record and your judgment. You can kick rocks if you think changing a label means I stop asking questions.
My vote isn’t a participation trophy. I’m not handing it over just because somebody says the right things today. I want to know what they’ve done and what they’re prepared to do.
The choices I made
Here’s the BallotReady view of the choices I saved for my ballot. These are my selections and my reasoning, not instructions for anybody else.
I chose Democratic candidates down the ballot, go blue, because I know what I cannot stand for. I voted for Marquita Bradshaw in several elections. In my opinion, the person she’s running against has done nothing for anybody in Tennessee along any party. That is my assessment, and you should look at candidates’ records and make your own.
I also chose Anna Golladay for U.S. House in Tennessee’s 3rd District; Jerri Green for Tennessee governor; Tim Roberts for State Senate District 11; and Paige Quirin for State House District 27. Those are my choices. Your ballot may look different depending on where you live, so check it for yourself rather than taking my word, or anybody else’s, for what’s on it.
Tennessee’s three amendments: read them before you vote
There are three constitutional amendments on the Tennessee ballot. I wanted to understand what I was being asked to decide before I went to the poll. Here’s how I read them and how I voted. For the full wording, use the Tennessee Secretary of State’s amendment information.
Amendment 1, Bail Denial for Serious Crimes: YES. The proposal addresses bail for specific serious offenses. My view is straightforward: you don’t get bail if you do something horrible. I voted yes.
Amendment 2, State Property Tax Ban: NO. Tennessee doesn’t tax wages through a broad state income tax, but we do pay property taxes. I believe everybody should pay their share. And if you’re not using my money correctly, you need to kick rocks. I voted no.
Amendment 3, Crime Victims’ Rights: YES. The proposal concerns victims’ rights in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Victims’ rights matter to me. I voted yes. That doesn’t mean I think anyone should lose due process; the Secretary of State’s explanation includes that safeguard in the proposed language.
Those are my answers, reached through my own thought process. Wherever you live, look up your own ballot and read what you’re being asked to vote on. You can find Tennessee’s official voter information at GoVoteTN.
Less than a day to decide
I can’t force anybody to vote. I can only point you toward the facts and tell you to use your own head. Educate yourself. Check the candidates. Understand your amendments. Vote according to your own thought process and moral basis.
I look at what’s happening in Washington and see reversals of voting rights, attacks on women’s agency over their own bodies, and games of “look over there” while something else happens. That’s how I see it. I also believe there is serious work ahead. Work that will take more than one election and more than one speech.
We’ve got about two decades’ worth of work to rewrite and rebuild. Tear down that bullshit ballroom and let’s get back to what it means to be a proud American. Democracy is not just a word we put on a sign when it suits us. It takes attention, honesty, and people willing to do the work.
Because right now it ain’t it, y’all.
Check your sample ballot. Know your amendments. Vote.