The view from the fence

Okay, you’re ready for the election. You’ve downloaded your sample ballot, spent some time online doing research on the candidates, the bond questions and the constitutional amendments. You’ve attended a candidate forum to hear from both candidates. And you are left feeling underwhelmed. Now what?

I’ve had the question posed to me: “I don’t like either candidate! What do I do?!” In reality, I vote for many candidates while holding my nose. I find most politicians barely tolerable, some more so than others.

The whole process, to me, is a power-hungry popularity contest that makes me nauseous. Humility lacks and genuine concern is often lost in the sprint to shake hands, kiss babies, and come out on top. Ick.

The lead up to election day is my least favorite season. Campaign ads ad nauseum, most with shifty half-truths or outright falsehoods, make me skip my favorite DIY channels on YouTube for a couple of months to avoid the endlessly repetitive clamber.

The glossy fliers that arrive daily in my mailbox, ironically screaming about data centers using our resources and pointing fingers, are immediately deposited in the garbage with disgust. I feel the world around me breathe a sigh of relief on the first Wednesday of November – at least we can go on in peace without the barrage of “Vote for me!”.

If you really want to be objective in your selection on election day, you should find yourself on the fence occasionally or even regularly when neither candidate appeals to you. I have a couple of races this year where I find myself looking at both sides and finding no enthusiasm whatsoever.

A friend of mine expressed a similar feeling about a race and I sent him a link to a radio program where they both appeared, encouraging him to consume it for more information since he, too, was on the fence. He politely, but firmly, responded that he was not on the fence, but rather, poignantly and distinctly, off of the fence. Neither candidate is likely to earn his vote for that office.

But do most people know that they can simply leave part of their ballot blank? Many of us enter the polling location as if it were a test – seems silly not to fill in at least one bubble on each question. But that is what democracy means – letting the people decide.

For example, if you find an incumbent running unopposed that hasn’t performed their duties to your satisfaction, leaving the only (their) bubble unfilled is a small form of protest that can add up to lower numbers that should prompt them to do better. “Should,” being the operative word…

It’s okay to leave some sections blank on your ballot. It is not okay to be so disenfranchised with the entire process that you never take the time to vote at all, although one would be forgiven to find themselves in that boat. I regularly peruse the total number of voters alongside incumbent or unpopular candidates to see if people are performing their dutiful protest effectively. Candidates should, too, rather than pat themselves on the back for winning an uncontested race. There’s that “should” again.

I see something different this election cycle that gives me hope. I don’t remember a previous similar situation where news outlets were so diligent about reporting on candidates’ bad behaviors. How many scandals have broken just in the last few weeks regarding New Mexico politicians?

While it is sad that our state has such malcontent, at least the news outlets are paying attention and reporting objectively. But does that disenfranchise voters further? I could see where all of the bad behavior, especially the flagrancy of it, would discourage constituent participation in the election even more.

So many things to consider when you stand in line at the polls. I will leave you with this advice: research, research, research. Hold your elected officials accountable at the polls. Try to be objective (I know, sometimes it is hard). At the very least, you should have an opinion about the constitutional amendments and bond questions, so you always have a reason to go vote.

But it’s also okay to leave some of the bubbles unfilled. Our elected officials should understand and strive to do better, given the polling numbers versus their tally. If they obviously don’t, then it’s probably time we fire them, and the way to do that is always at the ballot box.

Shawna Pfeiffer is a life-long Dona Ana County Resident, graduate of NMSU, small business owner, hobby farmer, dog-lover, outdoor enthusiast and mother to two young children. She can be reached at srpfeiffer1@gmail.com.