Families and Civic Engagement
Election season is upon us, and recent Pew Research surveys have revealed that Americans left and right are more politically polarized than ever. In 1994, for example, 23% of Republicans were more liberal than the median Democrat, while 17% of Democrats were more conservative than the median Republican. Today, reports Pew, those numbers are 4% and 5%, respectfully. And while most Americans still express some mix of liberal and conservative views, those who express the most ideological consistency—and the least flexibility—are the ones most likely to vote and donate politically, thus exerting a disproportionate influence on the makeup of government. The middle is increasingly lost in the noise.
Compounded with this problem is that of voter turnout. Roughly 60% of Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election. Far, far worse is the problem of local voter turnout. Only 15-27% of eligible voters actually cast a ballot in local elections. Fort Worth, TX, saw voter turnout of 6% in its most recent mayoral election, and Las Vegas, NV, was at 9%. These are major American cities, whose local politicians control vast budgets that have direct impacts upon citizens’ daily lives. Things like schools, parks, roads, zoning laws affecting local businesses, funding for museums or art, garbage and recycling pickup, and community safety are all local issues that probably have a greater impact on Americans’ day-to-day quality of life than the issues that make up most federal elections. Yet, as a nation that governs itself, we seem to be giving up more and more of our daily activities of living to a minority among us.
Even more frightening is how many people who do vote do so with little understanding of the issues. As Ilya Somin, author of Democracy and Political Ignorance, highlighted in an interview with Forbes, only about a third of Americans can name the three branches of government. Silya contends, “It is not that familiarity with these terms is absolutely essential—it’s that anyone who follows politics even moderately closely is likely to know them.” So as important as it is to “get out and vote,” as our political candidates keep reminding us, informed voting is also something we should be pushing for.
So how do we reverse such dismal trends? Families are the first place where we learn about the importance of civic engagement, and also things like mutual respect, informed participation, and civil debate. Participating together as a family in the civic process, having healthy but vigorous discussions about key issues, and promoting civic education is a key work of the family.
There are many different ways to be involved. The Brookings Institution has a great list of “76 things you can do to boost civic engagement.” It all starts with simply being informed. As a family, stay up to date with federal but especially local politics. Know the players, and teach your kids how the local system works. Subscribe to or follow a reliable local news source. This may be a newspaper, or it may be a local broadcast news site or social media channel. If you know any local politicians or public servants, consider having them over to dinner and discussing current issues. Help out in a local campaign. Attend or tune in to a city council meeting. When you prepare to vote, print out a copy of the ballot, and as a family, research the candidates. If you see something that needs doing, do it—cleaning up a road, working together to build a playground, participating in a community garden, volunteering in a local election. Families who do these things together are much better positioned to literally take part in forming the community around them—by their participation, their vote, their volunteerism, and hence the position they have as stakeholders in a community. When crisis erupts, they know the channels to create change.
Equally important is fostering the ability to discuss difficult topics respectfully. Politics and religion are generally considered “off-limits” in polite conversation, with about half of Americans saying it is “frustrating and stressful” to talk about politics with those with whom they disagree. Unfortunately, we don’t have many good examples of respectful disagreement around us. Cancel culture requires us to literally write off people who express disagreement on hot-button issues.
In this, the family, too, must be where we start learning about respectful disagreement and healthy debate. Model respect in your family by treating your partner and children with respect. Practice positive parenting. When your child complains about a classmate’s or sibling’s behavior, try to brainstorm together as to why the other child might be acting like that. Appreciate the pain points that cause behavior and opinions different than your own.
Illustrative here is the political example of the late Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. They differed fiercely in the application of the law, and were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Yet they also enjoyed a deep friendship, which their families shared as well. Justice Scalia’s son Eugene Scalia wrote about this friendship. The two justices were very different in some things, but nonetheless New Yorkers who both enjoyed travel, opera, good food, and a meal shared with family and friends. They sought to learn from the other. Justice Scalia “respected what [Bader-Ginsburg] had achieved in an era when the deck was stacked against her; from her experiences, he gained insight and depth of understanding.” Eugene Scalia wrote that it may be tempting to assume that if only political leaders spent more time together, the result would be more political harmony. “Don’t draw that lesson from Ginsburg-Scalia,” he cautioned. Rather, in their professional relationship, the two didn’t hold back—they debated fiercely, calling each other’s opinions “a wrecking ball” or “half-baked.” What we should rather learn from the two “is how to welcome debate and differences. . . . Not for a moment did one think the other should be condemned or ostracized.” Rather, they knew that what they were doing was fighting thoughtfully, carefully, but fiercely for the national good, and that such informed debate was essential for a self-governing society.
In your family, discuss examples like these. Appreciate the things you can enjoy with others, instead of focusing on how different you may be. Emphasize to your partner and children that no matter the views they hold, they will always be members of the family—loved, accepted, and respected. Teach them that important things are worth fighting for. And extend such practices from your family, to your community of fellow Americans. Start with the ones in your town, municipality, county, and state.