Voting -- a privilege and responsibility, not a "personal constitution"

It was 2002 when Afghanistan held its first free elections following decades of Soviet and Islamic jihadist rule. People had to dip their thumbs or forefingers in purple dye to mark themselves as voters. It was intended as a prevention of voter fraud. But it also became a badge of honor.

In the U.S., we vote. This year, in 2020, we voted like no other year in recent history -- with high turnout in mail and in person for both presidential candidates. We take it as a privilege and responsibility. But we cannot take it as a weapon or a declaration of some "personal constitution."

Voting is not just my voice -- it is my voice added and then yielded to the total voice of the whole. 

Listen, and mark how you will seek conversation, understanding, and compromise, and how you will respect others who think and believe differently.