VOTE!!

K. Latham, I Voted Sticker, flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

​Gee, did you know that tomorrow are the US midterm elections?
 
How could you miss it?
 
As part of my drive to help people become aware of the ways language, texts, and genres influence us without our noticing, I’m compiling another list for you to ponder—or add to.

What genres are shaping our votes—and whether or not we vote?

​Here are a few:
 
Political ads (including Smear tactics, Racist ads, Inflammatory ads) on radio, tv, social media
 
Bot phone calls (aka political ads)
 
Tweets from politicians
 
Campaign literature (hung on our doors, handed to us at the grocery store, mailed to us)
 
Door-to-door campaigning

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​Political debates
 
Voters’ guides (League of Women Voters, local community guides, your favorite news source)
 
News stories about the economy, migration, the Supreme Court, racist killings, tweets, and … pick your favorite topic
 
Political discussions at work, at the dinner table, with friends
 
Political arguments at work, at the dinner table, with friends
 
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Voting districts
 
Redistricting, Gerrymandering
 
Voting Rights Act—oh no, wait, that one’s gone, and it was just a single, powerful, text
 
Voting restrictions (signature matching, photo IDs, home address requirements, purged voter registries, prior felonies, and so on and so on and so on)
 
Get out the vote phone calls
 
Excuses for not voting (too busy, too tired, my vote doesn’t count, it’s all rigged, I don’t like any of the candidates)
 
Responses to excuses for not voting (ask your employer for time off to vote, ask for a ride, go with friends, if not a candidate then support the democratic system, and on and on and on—VOTE ANYWAY!!)
 
Polling places (especially their locations—see Dodge City in my own Kansas, long lines in Atlanta, Georgia, and other big cities, and so on and so on)
 
Free rides to polling sites

Discounts from Uber, Lyft, for rides to the polls
 
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Voting machines (electronic, paper trail or not, party ticket option or not, and so on)
 
Voting booths (and all that image represents)
 
Ballots (and sample ballots viewable ahead of time)
 
 
“I Voted” stickers 
 
“I Voted” social media posts

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VOTES!!!!!

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I’m sure I missed many bits of language influencing our votes, but most important is what influences whether  you  vote.
 
Pay special attention to the genres encouraging you to vote, trying to make it easier for you to vote. Be especially critical of the genres inhibiting your vote, encouraging you not to vote. 
 
Don’t let any of these genres—or anything else—keep you from voting.

If you need information—about where to vote, what’s on the ballot, voter ID requirements, or anything else—you can get that information from the US government here
(So you know the credibility of that source, here is the US.gov URL: https://www.usa.gov/election-day )

If you live in Lawrence and need a ride, email me and I’ll get you to your polling place.

So just one final word:

amberzen, pixabay (CC0 Creative Commons)