The Rev. Cheryl Lindsay serves as the Minister for Worship and Theology in the National Setting of the United Church of Christ.
In the months leading up to the last national election, I spent countless hours doing voter registration, mobilization, and education. I helped first-time voters register. I mailed postcards to low propensity voters to try to increase turnout. I served on a speakers’ bureau for a citizens-initiated ballot measure in my state. I helped organize candidates’ forums so that voters could hear directly from those seeking their vote.
I participated in rallies and prayer services to encourage voters to get out the vote and stay in long lines during early voting. I exhausted myself and literally lost my voice for a day or two, which was the only thing that slowed me down.
After the election, I desperately needed a break. I will never give up the work of political participation, especially in a non-partisan way, but I was tired and needed to replenish. My happy place, on the shores on Lake Erie, welcomed me back as I let the waters soothe my spirit and remind my soul that rest is part of the rhythm of life. I reduced my time on social media and fasted from watching the news.
Broadcast journalism, with its overreliance on polling and punditry, needs self-evaluation and critique so that news is less about fixating on one sensational topic at a time and more about actually reporting facts and candidate positions to inform voters. Sometimes, I feel like political reporters really want to be sports reporters, as they often cover these races strictly in terms of winners and losers rather than providing in-depth information and analysis covering complex issues.
