Luella is shocked by the concept of not voting (“Voting was what it meant to be a citizen, a generational wish passed down from our parents and grandparents…The only way to change the law was to vote.”) (p. 34) What did you think of her reaction? Do you feel many people today share this sentiment about the practice? Why or why not?
I agree with her reaction and have never not voted. However I think today there are many people who don’t take the time to pay attention to the issues or maybe feel their vote makes no difference, or maybe they don’t care.
Luella’s shock at the idea of not voting makes complete sense — she lived through the struggle to secure that right and understood viscerally what it meant to be denied it. That kind of firsthand experience creates a relationship with voting that people today, far removed from that history, simply don’t share.
There’s a real danger in that distance. When something has always been available to you, it’s easy to assume it always will be — to treat a hard-won right as a permanent fixture rather than something that was fought for, and that requires ongoing protection
I think Rose_S description of Luella’s shock of not voting is spot on! I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t vote when I was first eligible, probably because I didn’t feel connected to the impact voting could have on my life. I do remember my mother voting but I’m not sure about my father. (This was in the 60’s). In the early 70’s I met my husband and he was shocked that I had nover voted in the past. Needless to say I got a quick history and civics lesson and have NEVER not voted since. Again, Rose_S’s second paragraph is so relevant now. I’m convinced that the outcome of the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections was based on a lot of people not voting because they were upset that Bernie Saunders didn’t get the Democratic nomination (2016), and in 2024 didn’t want to vote for a Black woman or Trump. Elections have consequences. Hopefully our young people as early as middle school are learning about the history of voting in this country (women, non-Whites, immigrants, etc.) and the impact of how our voting choices affect our lives (Supreme Court, Congress, local jurisdiction policies etc.) I’m proud that my granddaughter have been going to the polls with their mother since they were babies, and clearly understand the importance of voting.