Date: October 7, 2024
It was last week. I realized that I had the full hour for lunch. I said to Taryn, my chief of staff, “I am going to vote”. I voted in person. There was no line. I had already evaluated the options for president, senator, mayor, and counselors. I did my duty as a citizen of the United States.
As it happens, I knew that voting day was going to be difficult for me. The bylaws require that there is a Board meeting on the first Tuesday of November. So, voting beforehand was wise.
I know some of you will not vote. You suspect your vote won’t make a difference; you feel that you voted in the past and the world did not change; and you don’t feel informed about the options. This is my plea: do please vote. Take some time to check on the options. There are some demographics who are often less likely to vote. The result is that there are other demographics who end up with the power by getting their candidates elected. Voting is easy; voting is important.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary