One of the things I am trying to do in my practice of estate planning is to think broadly about how we leave a legacy for future generations. As an estate planner, I help clients compose documents that reflect their values and beliefs, and do so in an organized fashion. If charity is important to the client, then we can put charitable bequests into a will. If certain family matters are important, such as regular vacations with all the family members, then we can provide language in a trust to try to ensure that these traditions are maintained as best as possible.
But when we think of our legacy, we can also think beyond our estate planning documents. The things that we do today will have an impact on the lives of those who come after us. One means of leaving an enduring and positive legacy for the next generation is being a responsible custodian of our civic space.
So how do we do this? I have a number of suggestions, and I'll explore them over several upcoming blog posts. For now, though, I'll just focus on the most basic means of participating in our civic society: voting.
Become an informed, registered voter and vote in every election. Register others to vote and persuade them to actually vote. Voting is at the heart of our system of government at every level. Mayors, county commissioners, members of school boards, judges, tax officials and clerks, sheriffs, legislators at the state level, governors, representatives to Congress, Senators, the Vice President, and the President - there are a lot of elected offices around. But voting can and should be more than showing up to the biggest elections and voting a straight party line. We should find means and opportunities to get to know candidates and to learn their positions. The League of Women Voters oftentimes solicits and publishes policy positions from major candidates.
And of course, there are also the ballot issues and referendums that deserve thoughtful consideration. In advance of an election, you can generally find a sample ballot that is specific to your voting district or precinct. This sample ballot will let you know exactly what is being voted on. In Georgia, sample ballots can be found at the Secretary of State's website: https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do (This is also where you can confirm your registration status.)
At any time, but especially in the time of COVID-19, absentee balloting (also called vote-by-mail) is a convenient means of casting your vote without having to go to your polling location and standing in line. Georgia voters can request absentee ballots here.
My concern for the legacy I am leaving future generations has motivated me to spend considerable time in 2020 working both for the political campaigns of the candidates I support as well as for voter protection efforts. While not everyone is able to take time away from their work to get so involved, I do hope that everyone who is able takes the time to (a) learn about our electoral system; (b) learn about the candidates; (c) cast their own vote; (d) support the full enfranchisement of all eligible voters; and, finally, (e) teach the next generation about steps (a) through (d).