Why we vote the way we do

When Virgil Bliss, the sly Maine farmer, is asked who he will vote for in the upcoming presidential election, he replies, “Same as Hettie.” Hettie is his wife. “Well, who is Hettie planning on voting for?” his neighbor asks. “She hasn’t said, yet,” Virgil answers.

“Well, who did she vote for in the last election?” the neighbor persists. “She didn’t,” Virgil says. “She said she didn’t want to give ‘em any encouragement.”

This exchange between to two “down-east characters” is one of the many stories the late humorist Marshall Dodge told in his “Bert and I” repertoire. For Virgil and Hettie, it didn’t much matter who was running. Neither one deserved their validation. This year, however, it will be hard to find anyone who isn’t voting for Donald Trump or Joseph Biden.

By all accounts, this election will draw a record number of voters, as early, absentee and mail-in ballots continue to pour in across the country. All of which got me to thinking about why we vote the way we do.

For some voters, it’s a simple question, framed by challenger Ronald Reagan in an October 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”

This appeal to self-interest--to vote for the person who will put the most money in your pocket--was not new. In dozens of other presidential elections, candidates have focused on the fiscal health of the country. “It’s the economy, stupid,” James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign manager, said.

But to view voting outcomes solely on economic self-interest is to ignore the many other factors influencing how we vote. One factor is identification. Who do we identify with? Do we vote one way because our parents did, or our friends or fellow workers do? Do we identify as Republicans or Democrats, or neither? Do we see ourselves in a certain class?

Do we identify with those in management, or those on the front lines? Does our racial, ethnic, gender, or religious identity--or that of the candidate-- play a role?

Are we more likely to vote for a candidate who confirms our personal beliefs and aspirations? Or someone who validates our fears and prejudices?

There’s nothing wrong with voting out of self-interest, especially in pursuit of basic needs: jobs, housing, healthcare, and the opportunity for self-realization that democracies allow. But to vote solely for economic reasons is short sighted and can be tragic. Remember that the German economy was booming under Nazi rule.

If we look closely at our history, we see that those who crafted and sustained our nation voted for more than self-interest. They voted, and fought for principles we hold in common, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ….” Although it took centuries for this radical concept to be applied to all people, regardless of race, class or gender, these words became a beacon to all those seeking a free and inclusive society.

Our founders were dedicated to building a society not only of independence and free markets but of wise and just government, “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

This understanding gives our voting another dimension. It allows us to participate in the great task of sustaining and strengthening our democracy, not just for ourselves, but for all.