Vote Like the Future We Hope for Depends upon It

History is falsely remembered as being inevitable. In the process of celebrating successes, we overlook the perseverance that brought them. Every example of tribal identity that thrives today, from language to culture to artwork to diplomacy, can be traced to the actions of elders who saw each one as important. When they faced a fork in the road offering diametric paths leading to either stagnation or progress, they chose the actions that were best for their people. We can thank the Creator for those who made the world a better place for us today. Although it’s true that everyone who reads this column isn’t destined for leadership, each of us is expected to play our role in protecting what matters to us all. The ballot box has always played an outsized role in charting our country’s trajectory. It’s again time for choosing the local, state, and national leaders who will be the agents of change for modern times. America is at a crossroads with no inevitable outcome assured. We must each vote in this November’s election, and we must vote like the future we hope for depends upon it.

America has a long history of minimalizing the actions of ancestors. Treaty provisions are seen erroneously as benevolent gifts from the United States rather than examples of defended tribal sovereignty. Native American voting rights are mistakenly imagined as something that always existed when in fact they were won by the persistence of tribal diplomats. The restoration of a Native nation’s federal trust status is problematically framed as a logical counterpoint to America’s Termination policy when the truth is that it was the determination of tribal leaders that restored Indigenous rights. In every instance, leaders empowered by their people effected positive change for Native nations. While current tribal officials are up for the task before them, they will need us all to help elect United States representatives who value tribal priorities. 

Right now, it appears America is irrevocably divided. Our conflicting ideologies are exploited by provocative social media posts, derisive political ads, and talking heads who spew skewed, intentionally misleading information. Some of the rhetoric is banal, some is ludicrous, and some is sickening. Yet, despite what the sound bites claim, our fellow Americans are not the enemy. All of us want to live in a just country that protects the freedoms we value. We want the promises of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to pass on to those who follow us. We want to create a stronger union that gives our children and grandchildren the best opportunity to thrive. It’s natural to want to debate or even argue with those who disagree with us, but the truth is that entrenched ideologies are rarely changed with a single conversation.

Reticent politicos refuse to enter the fray, knowing that complex identities lie behind most voters’ entrenched ideologies. Last month, psychology professor Keith Payne’s text Good Reasonable People explained how everyone has a “psychological bottom line” that drives their thinking. He confronts the flawed thinking about one’s opposition, asking not “How can they believe that?” but rather “What function is this belief serving for them at this moment?” The crux of his findings is that humans justify their incongruent actions because they see them as extensions of themselves and their groups and those groups are “good and reasonable” so their actions must be too. Weaving science, history, and memoir, Payne shows how the political leanings throughout our country are steeped in complexity. His advice for today’s voters is not to be a “political hobbyist” attempting to win points in arguments, but rather to engage in political organizing. “The issues at stake are too important,” Payne asserts, for armchair politicos to feel they’re meaningfully contributing and for apathetic Americans to feel they can refrain from voting. We might not change the minds of those who disagree with us, but we can vote for the leaders who will act to improve the lives of all our countrymen. 

In the past four years alone, we have witnessed some monumental changes. Our leaders came together to combat a global pandemic, kickstart our economy, curb rising inflation, offer empathy to refugees, protect our soldiers and allies abroad, and pass legislation needed to update the infrastructure within our country. The forthcoming election will empower new leaders who will dictate how the next chapter of the American story is written. Those leaders, up and down the ballot, will decide how our government views issues as wide-ranging as mitigating climate change, creating a prosperity economy, and protecting women’s sovereignty over their own bodies. Every one of those issues is not only vitally important to Americans today, but they will have long-ranging consequences on the generations that follow us. When we vote, we help chart our country’s trajectory.

Success is not inevitable. It takes a passionate populace who prioritizes voting over arguing, participation over indifference, and long-term thinking over kneejerk flippancy. It will take asking our family and friends to share their own voting plans, offering to drive them to the polls, and doing all we can to ensure everyone in our circles of influence casts their ballot. Electoral victory comes with a mandate for change, and all voters must decide which of the two visions before us will best serve us, our fellow Americans, and the generations who follow us. We must each vote in this November’s election, and we must vote like the future we hope for depends upon it.

Ryan Winn, Ph.D. teaches in the Liberal Studies Department at College of Menominee Nation.  

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the Inquisitive Academic or any other opinion columns published by the Tribal College Journal (TCJ) do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TCJ or the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. 

Reference

Payne, K. (2024). Good and Reasonable People: The Psychology Behind America’s Dangerous Divide. New York: Viking.