By Vivian Shinall
Copy Editor
Dear [insert family member here],
As the election draws near, I feel compelled to reach out to you. Throughout my life, you have always been such a supportive figure. I love and respect you so much, and value all that you have done to secure a good future for our family.
It is because of this future that I feel called to write to you asking you with every part of my being to please vote for Joe Biden this coming November. I implore you, for your reading of this letter, to set aside your past relationships with parties and politics and hear me out. You are someone who is forthright in their convictions and believes strongly in their values – these are things that I respect and hope to learn from you.
I can understand how Donald Trump may seem to have good business experience, that his policies help our economy, and that he “tells it like it is”. However, consider what you are sacrificing in the name of economic prosperity. The man who holds the highest office in our country has lied to the American people time and time again. He told us the coronavirus was not a concern, even as he admitted behind the scenes to Bob Woodward that he knew the threat it posed. While it can be argued that any president would struggle handling this virus, Donald Trump has allowed the deaths of thousands of Americans (a number that is on the rise). A person of high moral standing would apologize for this suffering, at the very least. They would mourn with those who have lost loved ones and share in their sorrow. Instead, the president flaunted his defeat of the virus, telling a mourning country: “Don’t let it dominate you.”
[If you’re a women/female-identifying*] As a young woman growing up in 2020 and developing an understanding of how I should expect to be treated, I know that you would never want to hear someone talk about me the way our president talks about women. We’ve all heard the infamous quote, and I won’t regale you with it again. But I want you to know that when you vote for a person who talks about women in such graphic, distasteful terms, you tell me that this is how I should expect the men in my life to treat me – which wounds me deeply. These words on the part of our president are just the tip of a giant iceberg, which is now barreling towards Roe v. Wade in the wake of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court; a decision that has implications not just for women, but for the LGBTQIA+ community and the Black community as well.
As a young person, I’m also trying to figure out what the world will look like throughout my life, a future that is increasingly uncertain. Scientists now estimate that we have just seven years to act before our earth will be on a path of no return when it comes to climate change. To you, this impending reality may seem far off or unlikely, but I can’t take that chance. I worry that I may not be able to bring children into a world that will no longer be hospitable to them in their lifetime. This election has direct ties to the future of our climate. Donald Trump will waste the valuable years we have left to combat climate change and reverse existing environmental degradation. He will tell you that we need to continue relying on oil because it helps the economy, all the while lining his pockets with funds from the fossil fuel industry. While I will be the first to tell you that Joe Biden is not a perfect candidate, he is the only one that seems to care about my future. He wants to move us towards sustainable energy, a much more difficult path to take – but the one that is crucial.
Beyond age, my final plea to you is out of human kindness and decency. If you watched the first presidential debate of this election cycle, you saw Donald Trump steamroll through 90 minutes of what was supposed to be productive, illuminating conversation. Like a petulant child, he bickered with the moderator and showed no concern for the debate rules – which his team had approved prior to the debate. Not only that, but he mocked Joe Biden’s son for his drug abuse problems. I don’t know about you, but I can’t fathom taunting a father who has worked tirelessly to help his son climb out of a hole of addiction. This illustrates a lack of humanity, a lack of basic ability to empathize. You may argue that you can separate the personality from the politics, but to me, what you do is tied to who you are – why else would you have worked so hard to instill good values in me?
You are a rock in our family. You hold such immense strength and care for all of us. You are a deeply kind, compassionate, and moral person. It is because of all of these attributes that I love you so much, and care so much about who you choose to vote for in this coming election. I hope you will take some time before you cast your ballot to really think about me. Think about how you want my future to look. I have become a strong, passionate, caring, and intelligent person under your guidance. Your vote for Joe Biden would affirm your care for me and my future. Please, vote for Joe Biden.
With love and respect,
[Your name here]
*Anyone else, feel free to tweak this to fit your care for the women in your life.
