Ann Patchett

Because the only way to change the system is to be part of it

In the early seventies, my sister and I were given a board game called Landslide, the goal of which was to try and scoop up the most states in the Electoral College in order to become president. It wasn’t as much fun as Monopoly or Life, but it gave us a basic understanding of how the Electoral College worked. What the game didn’t explain was what it was doing there in the first place.

Out of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, Tennessee, the state where I live, ranks fifty-first in voter turnout. 31.3 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2022. Right now in Tennessee, Donald Trump is polling 20 percent ahead of Kamala Harris.

What could happen if the other 68.7 percent of eligible voters in this state decided to go to the polls? There’s no telling.

Tennessee has 11 of the 538 total electoral votes in the nation. Had Al Gore won his home state in the 2000 election, he would have won the presidency. Where would the climate crisis be today if all Tennesseans had voted?

It’s easy to imagine a better system, from compulsory voting, to a federal voting holiday, to ranked voting, to being able to vote on our phones, to the end of the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Down here in Tennessee, it can be hard to feel like our vote matters, but 31.3 percent of us keep showing up.

I urge you to show up. Bring someone with you. The only way to change the system is to be part of it. And while it’s not my right to tell you who to vote for—you wouldn’t listen to me anyway—I hope you’ll vote for Kamala Harris. I hope you’ll vote for decency, truth, and a better future. Our country is a gift we’ve been given. It’s our responsibility to show up and protect it.

Ann Patchett's newest book, a hand-annotated edition of Bel Canto, will be published by Harper on Election Day. She is the owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville.