Transcript for the Piece Audio version of This I Believe - Election Day Feature

MUSIC: TIB theme

LOCAL HOST: NPR's essay series, This I Believe, asks you to share the beliefs that have shaped your life. Well, today, for Election Day, we've asked This I Believe's executive producer, Dan Gediman, to bring us a sampling of essays about the political process.

GEDIMAN: Among the 50,000 essays we've received from listeners are a range from statements of belief in our democracy and the Constitution, as well as essays about patriotism and our responsibilities as citizens. You tell us what you believe is good about the government.... and what's wrong with our government. And we hear from people struggling to find common ground in political discourse that has become quite divisive. Cande Iveson [pron: Candy eye-vuh-son] has spent much of her career advocating for children and family-friendly policies. She says her experiences in politics inspired her to write her essay.

IVESON: I was born in the middle, geographically speaking, in the heart of the country: Missouri. In my 6-year-old head, I could play it all out -- our house was in the middle of town; my town in the middle of the state; my state in the middle of the United States; the pattern extending out to the farthest reaches of the starry universe. As a child, being in the middle seemed somehow extraordinary, magical, fabulous -- the best place to be.

Growing up, I came to understand that the middle also a place between two opposing points of view. And in the last few years this middle ground hasn't been so comfortable; I've even doubted the whether there was a real middle, or just an empty space between extremes. There seemed some pervasive expectation that, sufficient force would persuade people in the middle to choose, picking one extreme over the other.

Today, I reaffirm my belief in the intrinsic value of the middle. I can be (and am) a political independent with Democratic and Republic friends, social and professional. In matters of public policy I am soundly liberal (soft-hearted) and fiscally conservative (hard-headed). None of these strike me as contradictory....

I believe it is possible for a strong middle to break the stalemate with strong values, clear insights, resistance to extreme choices and sheer numbers. I believe in a radical, activist middle that will restore our sense of balance and I am ready to participate. I believe that being in the middle can, once again, seem extraordinary, magical and fabulous. The best place to be.

GEDIMAN: Cande Iveson tells us that earlier this year she decided she wanted to take a more active role in government in Missouri. So she ran for state office - but she lost in the primary.... Our next essay also describes that tug-of-war between political viewpoints. Robin Mize [pron: MIze, rhymes with wise] is a family therapist in Takoma Park, Maryland. In her work, she says she helps couples develop mutual respect for one another. Robin's essay describes how she's learned to respect some people in her own life who think differently about politics.

MIZE: ....I come from a family where the liberal is a rare bird. Four of my siblings are staunch conservative. We do not agree, but I have to accept that they are thoughtful and compassionate people who have come to the opposite conclusion about how things should be. I must admit that it is hard for me to disagree so profoundly yet still respect and love them. Sometimes I wish I could agree with my siblings and not be troubled by these uncomfortable differences of opinion.

And this brings me to what I believe: I believe we are all doing the best we can. The other side isn't any more ignorant or selfish than we are. They are just like me. I am choose to respect their opinions, even as I disagree with them. I am grateful that my children must accept this diversity, too. They can't just dismiss the other side as evil. They are forced to love the enemy, because the enemy is their loved one. The love came first. It seems to me that here, in my family, is an essential element of our democracy. We agree to disagree. Our ability not only to accept, but to respect, our differences is our common ground.

GEDIMAN: That's Robin Mize, a family therapist in Takoma Park, Maryland. For this Election Day, we're sampling some of the essays you've submitted to NPR's This I Believe - essays about politics.... We've heard a lot of talk about the people who have registered to vote for the first time in this election and we have a couple of essays that reflect that. The first one was sent to us by Father Michael Seifert [pron: SEE-furht], a Catholic priest in Cameron Park, Texas. That's a small town on the Mexico border, down in Brownsville, and according to the Census Bureau, it's one of the poorest communities in the United States. Father Michael's church has well over 3,000 parishioners, all of them Mexican-American. He says that when they organized to vote, amazing things started to happen in the community.

SEIFERT: When I arrived here in 1997 , Cameron Park was a place that lacked the most basic services that the rest of Americans take for granted. Not a single one of our roads was paved. There was no police, no mail, and no school bus service. When we asked the county commissioner why the roads weren't paved, he responded, "Why bother? You aren't really Americans. You don't even vote."

Still stinging from his rebuke, the community organized itself. We divided up into teams of two and went door to door, asking neighbors to turn out in the next election. And they did. Our voter participation rate skyrocketed. The local politicians took notice - and they responded. The roads were paved. A park was built. Streetlights were installed. An old friend noted that now, "Cameron Park looks like America."

Well of course we look like America. We are America. While we may not speak the finest standard English or academic Spanish, we speak from our souls and with our hearts, and when we vote, we are speaking unmistakably as American.

I believe in the obligation and the privilege of the vote. I believe, today, in my neighbors of Cameron Park, who will go to the polls and who will, by means of their vote, make an act of faith in America. Our America.

GEDIMAN: Father Michael Seifert tells us he got an e-mail a couple weeks ago from a young parishioner who's moved away to college. She had just mailed in her absentee ballot and wrote to tell him how excited she was to vote in her first election. Father Michael says he sees a lot of that excitement and pride these days.... And finally, we have this from Nora Lupi [pron: LOU-pee]. She was 16 when she first sent us her essay. She's a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin now, majoring in art history, and she's also very excited about voting in her first Presidential election. She's attended rallies on campus and is volunteering for campaigns in Madison. Lupi sees getting involved in politics as a way of giving voice to young people - something she believes is missing from the democratic process.

LUPI: Many people throughout my life told me to shut up or mind my own business when I attempted to express my opinions on politics or gay marriage or abortion or the death penalty. What I have come to realize is that I have just as much right as anyone to say how I feel about whatever topic I choose. I do not think that I am any less informed than the next person, regardless of their age. I know that if I don't speak my mind, I won't be true to my nature.

I was raised in a family where politics were always discussed and debated. Many times my parents and I argued for half the night over the same issues the Supreme Court deals with. It was in this climate that I started to form my own opinions about the government. I learned that my opinions matter.

So why does it constantly seem as if teenagers are insignificant?

Unfortunately I know that the answer is that the government is not looking far enough into the future. I am not recognized as a future president, a future CEO, or a future revolutionary. All I am to them is a loud, obnoxious teenager. I think it is time that we are heard for more than what we are perceived as. It is time for me to be recognized for my knowledge, my interest, my ability to lead.

I believe in so much more than freedom of speech. I believe in the power and strength of the future America. I believe in us.

GEDIMAN: Nora Lupi says she and some of her friends got together to watch all three of the Presidential debates, and they're planning a party for tonight to watch the returns..... If you feel inspired by politics, or anything else in your life, we hope you'll write an essay for This I Believe. You can get some tips for doing so by visiting our website at thisibelieve.org. While you're there you can read and hear all the essays we've broadcast on NPR over the past three-and-a-half years. For This I Believe, I'm Dan Gediman.