Lisa L. Owens

Because democracy is at stake

Identifying the throughline, or heart, of any story works wonders. Connecting those narrative dots as I write helps readers invest enough in story stakes to page through to “the end.”

I use a similar process to work through life itself. Homing in on the heart of that story heightens the understanding of actions and reactions, results and resolutions.

Even when I get it wrong, I feel richer for the effort.

The throughline of my voting life has been a conscious desire for society to move ever forward, never back. Especially on fundamental issues like equality, bodily autonomy, voting rights, and the proverbial “more.”

I view my vote as my voice, born of my story—our story—from that whole “we the people” ideal.

Democracy is meant to be tested. We’re meant to protect and try to perfect it, knowing that if our government were to fall, we’d all be effectively silenced. No vote would count.

January 6, 2021, laid bare the bitter truth of one candidate’s willingness to abuse their presidential power. This candidate just recently asserted he’d “had every right” to interfere in the 2020 election he lost.

 (If the existence of his 2024 candidacy is some kind of cosmic joke, I don’t get it.)

As Vice President Kamala Harris said about the insurrection her opponent was impeached for inciting, “If we do not defend it, democracy simply will not stand; it will falter and fail.”

She was right then, and she’s the right leader now to guide us into the future. Harris truly is for the people, aka the lot of us. She’s also the only candidate who is unequivocally pro-democracy.

I’m backing Kamala Harris for president because democracy is at stake—and preserving it is no joke, folks.

Let’s help everyone connect the dots.

Lisa L. Owens is a children’s author and freelance editor living in the Pacific Northwest.