Why You Need to Care About Voting
As a financial capability professional, not only do you provide direct service to your clients, you also promote financial stability among all of the households in your community. And part of promoting financial stability is supporting the ability to freely cast a vote for your elected officials.
Hello, Talking About Money Community, how are you this fine day? 😎
In this post I want to discuss with you the importance of voting. And not just the fact that you yourself should cast a vote in every federal, state, and municipal election, but also that you need to support the entire system of voting, so that all Americans can participate with ease in this foundational part of our democracy.
Why, you might ask, is this important for a financial capability professional? You are already doing so much to help your clients to become more financial stable, why do you need to add voting to the mix? And anyway, isn’t that what community organizers are for?
I am glad that you asked. Let’s dig in.
Your clients should have the right to vote in their best interest.
Looking back at the founding of the United States, voting rights were not baked into the original plan. [Side note: Why is it that the older I get, the more I am interested in history?]
In fact, according to Amel Ahmed in an informative piece for the Washington Monthly,
The founders had no intention of extending the franchise beyond the wealthy white men who held power at the time. As increasing wealth and access to property made this restriction on the franchise moot, states began removing tax and property qualifications for white men, but made no substantive assurances of an affirmative right to vote. Subsequent acts enfranchised other segments of the population—Black men through the 15th Amendment and later white and Black women through the 19th—but again offered no guarantee of the right to vote, only the right to be free from discrimination in voting.
Ahmed goes on to say,
A truly progressive agenda would treat voting rights like economic rights, which also are not guaranteed in the Constitution, but have been earned through decades of struggle. Various groups mobilized throughout our history to demand that the government not just protect us from harm, but also provide the resources necessary to secure our well-being. (Think of the labor movement or the fight for entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare.) So, too, must we demand that our government support citizens in exercising the franchise, anticipating and meeting the needs of voters at every step from registration to casting a ballot.
As Ahmed so rightly puts it, your clients’ rights to cast a ballot are parallel to their rights to financial security. The voting system (like the economic system) should be constructed in a way that promotes equal opportunity for participation, rather than simply be free from discrimination.
Your clients deserve this. Heck, you deserve this too.
The more people that vote, the more accurate public policy will be in addressing their needs.
Further, there are numerous positive crossover effects for people who vote (like your financial capability clients). According to Nonprofit Vote, those benefits include:
Social Connections: Voters tend to have stronger social connections, leading to greater quality of life and longevity. Census surveys suggest that regular voters are, compared to voters who participate less frequently, more strongly connected with their neighbors and family members. They are more likely to discuss political issues with family or do favors for their neighbors.
Personal Agency: Voters have this satisfaction of knowing that they have expressed their opinions. Voting is a form of personal empowerment that gives you the opportunity to voice your opinion on issues that matter to you, your family, and your community. As community members are mobilized to vote, leaders from within the community often emerge, including those interested in seeking office.
Foster Community-Based Leadership: Communities that vote are more likely to elect representatives that reflect the diversity and interests of their communities.
This reminds me of research conducted in the asset building field that shows that people with some level of wealth – through home ownership or maybe even through a saving account – tend to be more involved in their communities, express a higher level of self-efficacy, and have a more positive outlook on their and their children’s future. With a comprehensive system that facilitates voting access for everyone, people can feel the agency that they feel with your financial capability efforts, creating a virtuous cycle fostering both economic and civic success.
The more people that vote, the more likely it is that public policy will support the financial stability of working households.
With the above two points made, I believe that the more people who vote, the more public policy will shift towards protecting hardworking households, such as with proposed polices like these supported by Prosperity Now:
American Opportunity Accounts Act, also known as Baby Bonds, would provide every child, at birth, with the economic resources needed to begin building long-term economic security and generational wealth.
State Earned Income Tax Credits would enhance what wage earners gain from the federal-level tax credit.
The ASSET Act would eliminate asset limits (also known as savings penalties) for TANF, SNAP and LIHEAP, allowing households to build savings without losing access to these vital programs.
FedAccounts would be administered by the Federal Reserve and be made available to every person, and would be accessible by mobile phone, allowing for more equitable access to safe, mainstream financial services.
State-level versions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) would ensure that vulnerable households are protected from harmful practices at times when federal protections are weak.
Right now, people are fighting for these bills, but will there be enough support to get them passed? The more people who can have their voices heard in electoral politics, the more likely it will be for legislation like the bills above to pass into law.
Now that you’ve read these words, what can you do to support voting access? If you live in an area that is trying to curb voting rights, or if you live in an area with sustained support of voting rights, you can promote change!
Donate your money to organizations like Fair Fight that are working to expand voting access.
Donate your time:
Volunteer for organizations (again, like Fair Fight) that are working for change.
Write letters to your elected officials urging them to support expanding voting access.
Register new voters at your agency.
Work on election day at your local polling place.
