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My husband and I recently moved an old sofa from one room to another.
I was convinced it would go through a door that he already had measured and was clearly too small for the job. He helped me try it anyway. Tired and sore, we took a break and came back to it the next day, when we moved it out the front door, down the front steps, through the yard and up a different set of stairs.
These were not Hallmark card moments. Curse words were uttered. Doors were removed from their hinges. Fingers narrowly evaded getting smashed. Nothing about this was fun, but it had to be done, so we did it.
This is a reminder shortly before a big, important election that we can do hard things together with patience, love and the right tools.
We’re alive at a time where it feels like technology has advanced a century in two decades. The way we communicate with each other is different. We stay at home more and have lost significant trust in institutions we used to believe in. We are simultaneously connected and disconnected.
The past 10 years in politics have been challenging, to say the least. We’ve lived through a pandemic and witnessed an attempted insurrection. Our elected officials are dealing with issues like data centers and artificial intelligence that weren’t on the radar even a couple years ago. Neither government nor the two major political parties enjoy much public support.
These sweeping national shifts can feel overwhelming, but they also have created an opportunity for change here in Indiana.
For example, Democrats have a better chance this year than in cycles past of breaking the longtime Republican supermajority in the Indiana House, which would give some leverage back to the minority party when it comes to negotiating legislation and reaching compromises. This would force the two sides, at least in one chamber, to work with each other more.
Second, a whole new party — the Lincoln Party — could have ballot access if their secretary of state candidate, former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, gets at least 2% of the vote. Ballard has been polling around 5% to 6% in polls released so far. If he reaches the 10% threshold, the new party would get to nominate candidates via primary elections. This would mean more competition in races up and down the ballot for the next four years.
Finally, Democrats might win a statewide office in that four-way campaign for secretary of state, giving the party a voice it hasn’t had in almost a decade and affecting everything from candidate recruitment to fundraising.
Whether all or none of these things happen, one thing will be true post-election: Every challenge Hoosiers face today will still exist. Utility bills will be high. Access to quality health and childcare will be difficult. Trips to the grocery store and gas station will be expensive.
Elections have a way of feeling final when, in reality, they create new beginnings. Once the dust settles, I hope we’re in a better place to start working together to solve some of these problems and rebuild the trust that’s disappeared over the past decade.
It might not feel like it as we plod toward Election Day mired in last-minute ads and mailers, but we need each other more than ever before to get out of the muck and back to a place where we’re willing to move sofas together.•
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Chartier is a lifelong Indianapolis resident and owner of Mass Ave Public Relations.
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