Rabbi Scott's Intro to and Susan Nerlove's Blog "Shma Koleinu Votes 2020"
08/19/2020 06:43:22 PM
Intro by Rabbi Scott
"So Holly reaches out to Susan Nerlove with an offer she couldn’t refuse (in my head, I’m hearing these words a la “The Godfather.”)
"In the really lovely blog post that follows, written by Susan, she suggests that perhaps I might possibly weigh in on the Jewish view of the right to vote and one’s deep responsibility to exercise it. I could quote Pirke Avot: Al tifrosh min hatzibbur, “Do not separate yourself from the community.” I could offer the Talmudic teaching that if you save one life, it is as if you have saved the world entire.” But I think my first and strongest go-to would be Hillel, which, yes, I know I recently quoted the great sage, but he is very quotable you know! Im ein ani li, mi li? If I am not for myself, who will be for me? Ucshe ani l’atzmi mah ani? And if I am only for myself, what am I? V’im lo achshav eimatai? And if not now, when? In these words are the encouragement, the argument, the injunction that to demur from voting is to abdicate any sense of civic responsibility. To limit one’s engagement to voting is to abdicate any sense of expecting that others should stand for you. And to insist that there will always be enough time, is to disinherit from the legacy of those who acted for us when we needed them the most. Whoever that is, whether in this generation or in a generation past, someone, somewhere, more than likely made a decision, without which we would perhaps not ever have walked this earth. Consider this Judaism’s offer you just can’t refuse and Vote!
"Thank you Susan for your leadership and commitment to civil society and engagement."
Shma Koleinu Votes 2020
Monday, August 17, 2020
This morning I was chatting with my friend and fellow Shma Koleinu member Sara Jacobson, the first time we had been in touch since the pandemic began. When I told her about the post on voting Holly asked me to write, she shared a memory of having been too young at age 18 to vote in the 1968 presidential election. After we hung up, she e-mailed me her recollection:
We haven’t always had the right to vote, and in fact many of us with that right don’t always choose to exercise it. What does Judaism have to say about that? I am not a Biblical scholar (I’m sure Rabbi Scott can help us dive more deeply into that subject); but as a Jew who cares about voting, I have spent some time thinking about it. Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Inter-Religious Affairs at AJC wrote a whole essay about democracy being a “moral imperative” in Judaism in which he delves into Torah and Talmudic tracts to support the argument. (https://www.rabbidavidrosen.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Democracy-A-Moral-Imperative-in-Judaism.pdf)
If you want to understand how the issue is viewed from an interfaith perspective, I highly recommend watching the live stream of an event which took place Sunday evening, sponsored by Bend the Arc-Pittsburgh, a Jewish organization with the mission of working towards a more just society. Topics covered included both textual arguments for civic involvement and cultural factors in some communities which hamper efforts to encourage active voter participation. My friend Cantor Sara Stock Mayo did a great job moderating the discussion!
The gist of these and other studies of the question is that as Jews we are under a moral imperative to participate in the institutions of our democracy including elections and voting. So if that’s the case, what do we do about it? More importantly, what do we do about it during a pandemic? I don’t have all the answers, but I have done a lot of thinking and collected a number of resources to help myself and others figure out what to do.
First Step—Make sure you are registered to vote. Then make a plan of how and when you plan to vote!
HARRIS COUNTY
Voting Information - Election Division
PSA
“Voters concerned with mail delays will be able to drop off their marked ballot in-person at any of the County’s eleven offices* and annexes during business hours, beginning whenever they receive their ballots and continuing through Election Day, November 3, at 7:00 PM. This is the first time in Harris County history where voters can drop off their marked ballots during the Early Voting Period to ensure on-time delivery. We encourage eligible voters to use this method of voting to avoid long lines at voting centers.”~Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, August 14, 2020
STATEMENT: Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins on Expected USPS Delivery Delays in November
* https://www.cclerk.hctx.net/ContactUs.aspx
TEXAS
Application for a Ballot by Mail
NATIONAL
Next step, help others exercise their right to vote! There are many ways to become involved, both partisan and non-partisan. Here are some of the non-partisan opportunities:
Check out your local voter registration division for online training to become a volunteer deputy voter registrar in your area. Online VDVR Training in Harris County:
League of Women Voters Houston - A non-partisan organization with chapters across the country:
Home - League of Women Voters of Houston
Pledge 3–Pledge to be a voter and help 3 friends do the same, an organization co—founded by Michelle Obama:
And finally, VOTE!
This year, EARLY is the operational word!
- Prepare yourself by researching who and what is on your ballot. Download it from one of the state or county websites and fill it out in advance.
- If you are eligible and plan to vote by mail, get your mail ballot out as soon as you receive it (put TWO stamps on it to be safe)—or, if at all possible, drop it off at a designated collection site.
- Remember, you also have the option during early voting to cancel your mail ballot at an early voting location and vote in person.
- On Election Day, you must bring the mail ballot with you and surrender it before you can vote in person. If you don’t have the mail ballot, you will have to vote provisionally.
- If you plan to vote in person, take advantage of the expanded early voting period, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL ELECTION DAY. In Harris County, and probably other locations around the country, there will even be curbside voting available. MASK UP! Once inside the voting location, you won’t be able to refer to your phone or any campaign materials BUT you can bring that marked up ballot in with you. In November, the ballot is going to be a long one, and in Texas there is no more straight-ticket voting. I personally am going to need my notes!
I hope my thoughts on voting are of help to you. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rabbi Scott and Holly who will do their best to help you or connect you with someone who can!
L’shalom,
Susan Nerlove
