#i couch this in silly language but fr go vote guys

[supersymmetries]

a vaguely-presidential looking seal appears on your dashboard to the sound of trumpets--

and my large, sweaty face appears on your screen. even through the low resolution of the pre-recorded broadcast you can tell that the gel is melting out of my hair and my suit is ill-fitting.

hello fellow musers. 2024 is an election year for large chunks of the planet. primaries are well underway for many. we all love to vote here, and i would like to encourage those of you eligible to make sure that you participate in your country's elections this cycle!

recall the number of polls over the last year that we had no business winning because all of us came together and voted as one. even if that song or album wasn't our favorite. even when we didn't win. even when all it got us 2nd or 3rd place. i want you to bring that optimism and determination to the ballot box this year.

this doesn't apply just to presidential elections, but to any local races that may be underway as well. participation in local elections is lower, and your individual vote has greater sway in a smaller voting pool. this is truly where you have the opportunity to make outsized changes to the politics of your immediate area. these changes in local politics can and will result in greater changes further up the chain.

encourage your friends, musers or not, to go vote as well. go online to search for local resources that can ensure that your vote ends up being counted if work, disability, or other circumstances hamper you (your votes matter even more!).

i'm aware that it feels tired saying this in 2024, especially for those of us in the united states who will most likely have to choose between trump and biden once again. but i hope that i can convince you of the importance of not abandoning the most vulnerable of us in allowing greater demagogues to take power and at the very least, the ability to say that you did your part to preserve democracy in a time when the very future of voting is uncertain.

but this can't be the end of it. voting out of fear of the greater evil and pinching your nose every time cannot be what motivates us. fear is exhausting and can be exhausted in a short period of time, but the world order will not change overnight and we cannot expect it to with one election. instead, we have to let ourselves be motivated by love. dare yourself to love your fellow citizens, to want better for them and yourself, to believe that we all deserve better and that "better" is within our grasp.

feed someone. attend a protest. talk about your wages at work. question dichotomies. we maintain what we have, support one another, and grow. even a relatively small number of people can do powerful things when we all work together. i've seen it happen here, and it can happen anywhere, even on the scale of nations.

see you all at the polls!