Why I Proudly Voted Blue in 2020

I originally wrote this post for my old blog, Seersucker Optional. I have made some edits and updates to it because I think it is still an extremely important message.

It is Election Day, and though many people are probably sick of hearing why it is important for them to vote, I thought I would share why I personally choose to.

I am a naturalized American citizen, born in Seoul, South Korea, and assigned adoption to my parents the moment I was born. I was born in November, and arrived in America in March. The paperwork for getting your child citizenship sounds easy, but it's actually quite complicated. https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/how-foreign-born-adopted-children-get-citizenship.html. My mother is a blue eyed blonde with two Polish parents, and my father is a redhead with German, Irish, and English heritage. Both of my parents were educators, starting off as teachers and then my father went into Administration and my mother specialized as a learning consultant. I was very fortunate to grow up with informed and educated parents who provided us a safe and secure home. I am both lucky and privileged. The change in ICE policies over the past four years have led to Americans that were adopted as children being deported because their parents did not get them their correct citizenship.

In 2014, I married my white, Jewish husband. In 2015, we purchased a home together in the DC suburbs of Virginia. Prior to 1967, our marriage was illegal and our cohabitation, jailable.

This all might seem like unnecessary info. The reason, I call attention to my background and ethnic background, is because it affects me every day. Racism and Nationalism and oppression have become political agenda. People excuse it because, "politics... agree to disagree." Racism and racial baiting is a huge part of our current culture. People are willing to ignore anti-semitism, and racism, and white supremacist agendas in the name of politics and party. This cannot stand. This must not stand.

Our country is filled with people differing in ethnicity, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Different body types, and interests, and passions. There are too many people in this country who feel that there is only ONE way to be an American, only ONE ethnicity, only ONE religion. That only people who look a certain way and believe a certain way should have rights. We cannot allow people with these views to lead us. It's unAmerican.

It is my civic duty to make my voice heard. Political leaders are able to cast an effect on us all, even if we do not realize it. In the 2020 Primary, I had very different candidates in mind for office. Joe Biden was not my top choice, not my second choice. I was just asked why I am voting Biden Harris:

Though I felt there were other candidates that more closely aligned with my beliefs, I believe strongly that Joe Biden is a good man who genuinely cares about others. I appreciate his background in foreign policy and his efforts to curb domestic violence. I love Kamala Harris’ history of support for the LGBTQ+ community, her fight for the middle class, and her dogged efforts to weed out financial corruption. I am very excited to see what they can and will do as a team. I believe that Joe Biden will be a good leader, and I believe he is wise to surround himself with people of many different backgrounds and is open to learning and to hearing ideas. I do not see Joe Biden ever calling covid-19 the “China virus” and endangering Asian American lives with racist rhetoric.

We need leadership amidst this unprecedented virus, not conspiracy theorists and anti-science hoax mongers.

I was proud this morning to cast my vote not only for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Mark Warner, and Don Beyer, but for our very future. There is too much at stake to sit at home and not make your voice heard.

Opposing racism, using our rights to make our opinions count... what's more American than that?

Accessories are so important.

We were able to exchange our absentee ballots for in-person. Thank you to all of the poll workers!!