The Midterms: Still Need a Reason to Vote?

Andy Ostroy
3 min readNov 7, 2022

Tuesday evening we’ll have a sense that either America is finally, finally, on it’s way towards the end of Donald Trump and Trumpism, or, that we’re headed down a terrifying path towards the end of our 247-year-old democracy and the start of autocratic rule. It’s a truly binary choice.

Given this reality, there should be no doubt that Democrats will do everything humanly possible to get to the polls. That turnout would be at historic levels, in the 70%+ range.

But yet here we are. Election Day Eve, fearing that Democratic turnout won’t be enough to retain Control of the House and possibly the Senate as well. Here we are, with the election way too close for comfort.

There is no ‘next time.’ There’s no room for message-sending (like staying home because you’re fed up with politics, or believing that your vote doesn’t count). Voters have a simple choice: Democrat vs Republican. Democracy vs autocracy. Freedom vs oppression. Good vs evil.

Let’s be crystal clear: Every single vote matters. Every damn one. Election Day is the one day of the year when we are all equal. When the janitor and the billionaire have the same power. And this election is the most critical ever.

So vote because your health, your future and your life depends on it.

If you’re black, brown, Asian, a Jew, an immigrant, a Gen Z, a senior, a woman, a sexual abuse survivor, LGBTQ you must VOTE

If you fear America’s out-of-control gun culture you must VOTE

If you care about public education you must VOTE

If you feel left out of our economic growth and believe there are two Americas — one for the rich and corporations and another for everyone else — you must VOTE

If you care about climate change and science you must VOTE

If you believe in “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”and American values you must VOTE

If you find the current wave of anti-Semitism and racism terrifying you must VOTE

If you want to…

Andy Ostroy

Director, producer, podcaster, writer, resistor, non-profit-supporter of women filmmakers