Our local primary is one month from today, though vote-by-mail has already started and one of my kids has already voted. I’m an Election Day voting girl myself and am undecided in a couple races so am glad for the extra time.

It’s hard to imagine the next month being any more bizarre than the last. We went from no council seats on the ballot to two unexpected elections. Our mayor had won re-election unopposed then days later withdrew. This week a city council member resigned two years into his term without explanation and the next day City Hall Art Gallery made the Reddit homepage with 33,000 views in twenty-four hours for their handling of an exhibit. The same day a local leader who is one of the most abusive I’ve ever experienced wrote a piece praising their own accomplishments and saying how humbled they are by their own astounding expertise, wisdom and importance. Read that last sentence again. Reminded me of the story Jesus told (Luke 18:9-14) about the guy that thanked God he was so much better than other people. (Spoiler: Jesus slammed the guy’s hubris).

It’s tempting to apply for a mail-in ballot and then go hide for the next month. I spoke Thursday to a really great leader of a nonprofit who is on the verge of giving up and just focusing on their career because nasty politics are sucking all the joy out of their volunteer service. That makes me both sad and mad. But I totally get it.

Our form of government is supposed to inspire participation and engagement, not run off honest people so dishonest ones can rule unchecked.

I don’t know why I’m still surprised when politics brings out the worst in people. I’m sure that’s the case since the first human realized they could position themselves in power over other humans.

I don’t know why I’m still surprised when people deny the ugly side of politics exists. Though if I’m willing to self-evaluate, I’ll admit that before I was in office I would’ve thought people were exaggerating when they talked about political corruption. There’s a Facebook page that was created this year to cover local politics and the comments that annoy me are from people who deny bullying, political shenanigans, and abuse of power exist.

One of the times I ran for office, I was summoned to a local leader’s office. They told me if I didn’t drop out they would make sure I not only lost the election but would ruin my life personally and professionally. I stayed in the race and they did try to bully and ruin me. I got calls from 4 local news agencies who said they were being pitched a story about me that was obviously garbage. They all refused to run it, so the bully ended up talking a paper out of county to cover it with the promise of future favors. They spread all kinds of terrible rumors about me during the months before the election. By God’s grace, and because He is the one in charge of my path, I not only survived the onslaught but have been able to continue serving my community. But I’d be lying if I said it was fun.

My story isn’t unique. Talk to anyone who’s run for office without “permission” and you’ll get some wild stories. They’d be funny and good drama if it wasn’t real life. This climate has stopped a lot of people who would be good elected officials from running. They aren’t willing to put their family through the turmoil. I totally get it.

So what do we do in the next month?

If a candidate (new or incumbent) asked me for advice in this last month, I’d tell them to spend as little time as possible on the rumors about you. The intent is derail you from the message you want to give. If the rumor requires a response, do it quickly and move on. You need all your mental and emotional energy for your campaign. Don’t let someone else decide how you spend it.

If a voter asked me for advice in this last month, I’d tell them to do their own research. I’ve already talked in a prior blog about how much I despise mailers as pointless and insulting to a desire for informed voters. But they can also be used to say terrible, misleading things about candidates. First – check who paid for the mailer – it has to say on the card who made it. The most dishonest ones will come from political action committees (PACS) and not from an actual political candidate. The PACS will be called things like “Citizens who love America” or “Patriots for A Better Florida” (I made those names up, but you get the idea). If a PAC mailer says something that smears a candidate, do your own research. The PAC may have ulterior motives for discrediting a particular candidate or propping up their own.

I’d also remind voters again that candidates are real human beings. They might not be people you intend to vote for, like or even respect, but they are human. Chances are good they started out with good intentions, even if they’ve since become seduced by power or decided lying is ok to protect themselves. Spend more time working for the candidate you support than you spend fighting against the candidate you don’t.

When I taught English, I’d play songs and have the kids shout out the literary device being used:

“My heart’s a stereo” – (students yell METAPHOR)

“baby you’re like lightning in a bottle” – (students yell SIMILE)

“you, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me” (students yell SIMILE three times)

“The hills are alive” (students yell PERSONIFICATION)

“Kangaroo jumps, boing, boing” (students yell ONOMATOPOEIA)

You get the idea.

Why am I talking about literary devices in the middle of a blog on politics? Because you will continually be exposed to the literary device HYPERBOLE in the next month. Balance it out with other things – like yelling out literary devices at songs, lol.

Or maybe just listen to music. Or read a comforting and inspiring book, like George MacDonald’s “The Light Princess.” Or have dinner with friends. Or walk your dog on a new route. Or. Or. Or. Or.

Be an informed voter, but give yourself room to do other things to provide a breather and some sense of normalcy in this turbulent time.

Because the day after the election is one month away.