Here is my ballot
In it contains worlds
Because I know when I make a decision
An entire future now unfurls
My vote combined with others
Shapes the world that we will see
Some votes I support fully
But with others I disagree
This is the singular beauty
Of a democracy now unfolding
The people have the power
Through this ballot that I’m holding
Some of us forget this
Choosing to leave our ballots uncast
And some don’t trust the system
Based on mistakes of the recent past
Others feel disconnected
“What has voting done for me?”
While others remember that without the vote
Some were destined to not be free
This is why every time I vote
I do it for those who came before me
While trusting the decisions we make today
Means our children will reap the glory
So whether you’ve never voted before
Or this is the first one that you’ve done
The vote you cast can never lose
When democracy has won.

By Pedro Silva

I see a future where everybody votes. It’s simple, secure, and honored. Some may even call it sacred. A future where access to $ doesn’t determine someone’s access to sharing in the political process. I don’t blame folks who don’t trust elections. We all get lied to on a regular basis by some paternalistic politicians who treat us like children. AND, we get the government that we do and don’t vote for. Like it or not, this is a representative government. In a country where we have the right to vote, whether we exercise that right or not, our politicians, policies, and programs reflect the collective values we express.

Regardless of the outcome, voting is a cocreative activity. There are people who think some of us shouldn’t have this power—that only some of us deserve it. That’s their problem. I’m a firm believer that there are untapped intelligences in each of us individually and all of us collectively. Keeping us divided is keeping us from discovering these intelligences that can open us to what it takes to maximize individual and community thriving. I’m not going to say who or what I think you should vote for. But, I am going to encourage you to vote. Spend an hour getting in touch with the creative genius in you. Sense the world you desire for this and future generations. Know what you’re for and not simply who you’re supposedly against. Then mindfully put your vote out there. Then trust that you did a small part to set that world in motion.

Here’s an inescapable fact that you can accept sooner or later but can’t deny forever. We’re all in this together.