Scott D. McLean, MD

Because I voted early, I was under the impression that I might have some special wisdom to impart about voting. Many people seem to have this wisdom, and I don’t want to feel left out. Alas, no magic. I got my sticker and affixed it to the inner cargo door of our increasingly beloved Milton, a newly commissioned camper van that is now in port to rest and be refit. The grey-water tank is getting a shampoo, the Peplink router and Husky antenna are online. I retreated into Milton yesterday to write a piece about voting, and today I read it – super, inspiring, persuasive. The only problem – it was crap.

Voting is complicated. The fact that we can vote is labyrinthine in its reasons and consequences. Oh, I love it, wouldn’t trade it, and certainly encourage it. But glib reflections for me just do not work.

I have long been tempted to put voting, as well as telling the truth, coming to a full stop at stop signs, and loading the dishwasher correctly (right!? You know who I’m talking about!) at the top of the list of civic virtues that make our sacrifices to the status quo worthwhile. Voting, in fact, has been the primary item on my list of prescriptive demands whenever I, a veteran of foreign wars, am thanked for my service.

But all of us should do what we can in terms of our service, whether we put on aquaflage or OCP, multicam or MARPAT, Lululemon, cowboy boots, slacks, pumps, top hats, or a feather boa. [Question: Is it even possible for Space Force to wear camouflage?] Everyone needs to be serve and be thanked for their service.

Voting is just one of the many ways we serve the common good. There’s a good argument circulating that it’s quintessential: the fifth essence, ultissimo, or even foundational – an act of civil obedience upon which we have built our democracy.

And yet, wrong again. To vote is not an act of obedience. You are not compelled to cast a ballot. There are no fines, no imprisonment. It’s an offer extended by the ideas of the nation and the people who value those ideas.

Just so you know, I’m one of those people.

I hope you are, too. And I hope to soon thank you for your service.