Vote as if it was important. Because then it's okay

The fact that Leading Man takes center stage, through all acts of comedy, tragedy and farce, does not mean that he must decide the fate of the play. Every year, in November, the public becomes the actor. Young and old, red and blue, the scene is yours.

The most fateful question of any electoral cycle is not who is ahead; that is who presents himself. In 2014, the mid-term atmosphere was so lukewarm that the participation rate was the lowest in 72 years. But it looks like this year might be different. Let's hope this is true, but not only because of who could win, control the Hill, approve the next Justice, establish a partnership with the President or control it. Social scientists who discuss the health of American democracy see a series of threats ranging from mistrust of institutions to attacks by the press, interference from abroad to worsening polarization among them . There is no easy way to solve this problem. it's easy to know where to start.

Vote because it's absolutely not necessary to a better place. This reminds public servants of the public they serve. This dilutes the power of big donors and narrow interests. It builds the civic capacity we need throughout the year to serve our neighbors and strengthen our communities. And that confuses the experts who insist on predicting the results as if the election was a formality. To vote is an act of faith in the possibility that, in a true democracy, anything can happen.

Vote if the voices you hear do not speak for you. "The elections have consequences," said Barack Obama and Mitch McConnell, defenders of their power games. We only shape the results if we make our contribution. Otherwise, we cross a branch without leaves and do not move at all.

Vote because you refuse to let the vote become the privilege of the madmen and betrothed. It's good not to worry about politics; these days, it's even healthy. You always get a vote, to remind politicians that they serve both the people who admire them and those who ignore them.

Vote because there are those who do not want it, who promote laws making it more difficult for the poor, the young or the non-whites to vote. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, nearly 16 million people have been removed from the voters lists from 2014 to 2016. From Georgia to North Dakota, activists are fighting in court and on the streets for vote – battles that inspire and dissuade people from going to the polls.

Vote to challenge those who spread rumors of active shooters near polling sites, who create fake Facebook posts claiming that you can vote by text, distribute leaflets indicating the wrong date or address for elections and polling locations .

Vote as a wink at a time when everyone was fine if their son married a Republican and their daughter a Democrat.

Vote because democracy would be healthier if the races were closer. More than 60% of Americans live in counties that were decided in 2016 by more than 20 points. So why should politicians engage in difficult debates or even seek common ground? Your vote is not lost if you are a San Francisco Republican or a Wichita Democrat. Even the most red and blue states can deviate; Just ask no-one-Senator Roy Moore, after Crimson Alabama elected a Democrat, or Charlie Baker, the popular Republican Governor of the Socialist Republic of Massachusetts.

Vote because you refuse to let the vote become the privilege of the furious and betrothed

Vote because our civic culture needs love now. "Most people do not care about democracy issues; they care about particular problems, like firearms, health care or climate change, "observes Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. But that could change because people are more and more concerned about the health of our institutions. "Democracy is being undermined by negative ads, low voter turnout, tribes that are attacking each other instead of listening to each other or engaging each other," warns Fung. "All of this takes away pieces of democracy. And the more pieces we get, the more fragile democracy becomes. Eventually, he can fall apart. "

Vote as a positive act because our system has become ruthlessly negative. If possible, find someone for whom you can vote. Our politics can not reflect the best of us if it is fueled mainly by the worst – our fears, our resentments, our febrile tribal furies. If you only vote against people you can not defend, those you elect feel less responsible and have less reason to listen or learn.

Let's go vote because if by a miracle everyone voted, so many things could be different. About 40% of Americans of voting age voted in mid-term in 2014 – the lowest percentage since 1942. The 2016 participation rate of 55.7% ranks us 26th out of 32 developed countries in terms of electoral participation. But participation varies considerably: in 2014, in California alone, the participation rate ranged from 22.6% in the southern imperial county to 65.0% in Sierra County in the north. In 2016, 70% of people over 70 voted nationwide compared to only 43% of those under 25 years old.

That's partly because we make voting difficult, in 50 states with 50 different systems. But it also means that we can experiment with reforms as individuals, employers and citizens of state governments. In 2013, Denver decided to mail all registered ballots, which they can return or drop off at a designated location. In 2016, 72% of his constituents came – with increased participation from Republicans and Democrats. As of this year, 13 states and Washington, DC, have automatic voter registration laws, which means that when people interact with the government (from a driver's license to a food aid), they are automatically recorded. Oregon, the only state to have data on the impact of these measures, has put in place such a policy for the 2016 elections and has recorded the largest increase in the participation rate of all states. compared to 2012.

Vote because there are fewer excuses. A Pew survey conducted in 2014 found that two-thirds of those who did not vote said they did not have the time. Thus, the outdoor clothing retailer, Patagonia, will close all its stores and headquarters and will give everyone a paid day off so that they have time to go to the polls, just like companies like Spotify, Ford and General Motors in 2016. "No American should choose between a salary and fulfill his obligations as a citizen," said Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia. Given the chances that Congress will not make election day a national holiday, groups like Vote.org are lobbying companies to give workers at least two hours of paid time off to go to the polls. Companies from Pinterest to Walmart through Tyson have registered.

Vote if the voices you hear do not speak for you

Vote because it's not the first time our politics has become ugly, though the ugly is now everywhere. We are face to face and infants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a way that was not possible 10 years ago. And we are served, although it hardly sounds like the right verb, by a president with a single indifference to unite the country and a rare passion to infuse his finger in our wounds. It is easier to encourage than to inspire; he is also effective or he might not be the president and Brett Kavanaugh might not be a judge. Conflict is the driving force of engagement that captures attention, the motto of our time.

We get what we reward. So vote as an act of common commitment for the common good. At a time when the Americans are so in disagreement, we can agree that the four-alarm fire of our political scene is horrible. Think of your Facebook friends that you're sick of or share your policy with. vote because it's a better answer than a comment.

Let's vote as if nothing had happened. Because then it will be the case.

Gibbs, former editor of TIME, is visiting professor Edward R. Murrow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government

This appears in the November 5, 2018 issue of TIME.