The Sweet Spot • Backstage Conversations

Why Vote When You’ve Lost Hope? 🇺🇸

Red, White & Blue: Finding Hope, Using Our Voices, and Making Room at the Same Table

By Jenn Board, Certified Menopause and Wellness Practitioner, author of Silent to Spoken · Published November 3, 2026

Hey you, it’s me! 💋

Sweet friend, today is Election Day.

And there’s something that’s been sitting on my heart that I want to share with you.

I recently watched God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust, and goodness, there was a scene that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

It was about a pinecone.

I know! A pinecone. 😂

Of all the things to take away from a movie about faith and politics, right?

But hear me out.

Did you know that some lodgepole pinecones need intense heat to open and release their seeds?

A forest fire comes through. Trees burn. Everything looks destroyed. Yet some of those tightly closed pinecones open in the heat, releasing seeds that can eventually grow into new trees.

Think about that for a second.

Even after a fire, there’s still the possibility of new life.

And I sat there thinking about how much that sounds like life sometimes.

The seasons when everything feels uncertain. When we’re exhausted from trying. When we wonder whether anything will ever change.

Then my mind went to our country.

The arguing. The division. The frustration.

And I started wondering how many people have simply lost hope that their voices can make a difference.

Which led me to a question.

Are Americans Losing Hope in Voting?

You know me. When something gets stuck in my head, I start asking questions.

So I started looking into voter turnout.

And goodness, one statistic stopped me.

More than half of eligible young Americans, ages 18 to 29, did not vote in the 2024 presidential election.

According to research from Tufts University’s CIRCLE, approximately 47% of eligible young Americans voted.

Less than half!

Now, as a mom, that one really caught my attention.

I’ve always encouraged my kids to vote.

I want them to understand that their opinions matter. That they have a voice. That being part of a democracy means having the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their future.

I want them to ask questions, do their own research, think for themselves, and stand behind what they believe.

And yes, that means they might vote differently than I do!

That’s okay.

Because part of raising our children is preparing them to make their own decisions.

But seeing that statistic made me wonder.

Are we teaching the next generation that their voices matter? And are we showing them how to respect someone who uses their voice differently?

Our kids are watching how we talk about politics, how we treat people who disagree with us, and how we respond when things don’t go our way.

And I think that’s worth remembering.

But I had another question.

Why Are So Many Americans Frustrated With Politics?

I came across a 2023 Pew Research Center survey that really caught my attention.

In that survey, 65% of Americans said they always or often feel exhausted when they think about politics. More than half said they always or often feel angry.

And only 10% said they always or often feel hopeful.

Ten percent!

I had to sit with that one for a minute.

Because behind those numbers are real people.

Parents trying to raise their children. Families wondering how they’re going to afford groceries. People working hard, paying bills, and hoping tomorrow might be a little easier.

People who are tired of promises.

People who feel like nobody is listening.

And maybe people who have started wondering whether their one little voice matters anymore.

I can understand the frustration.

Sometimes I turn on the news and wonder how we got here.

When did every conversation become an argument?

When did disagreeing with someone become a reason to stop speaking to them?

And when did we start assuming we know everything about a person because of how they vote?

I don’t have all those answers.

But I do know that I’ve been thinking about what we can do differently.

What If We All Pulled Up a Chair to the Same Table? ❤️🤍💙

Red, white, and blue.

Three colors. One flag.

Some of us lean red. Some lean blue. Some fall somewhere in the middle.

And somewhere along the way, those colors have become labels we use to separate ourselves.

But what if we created a place where everyone could sit at the same table?

A place where we could ask questions without being attacked.

Where we could disagree and still respect one another.

Where we could listen long enough to understand why someone feels the way they do.

Because here’s something I think we forget.

No matter who you vote for, we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

We all have struggles. We all have people we love. We all want to feel safe, heard, and hopeful about the future.

And goodness, wouldn’t it be nice if we remembered that a little more often?

I believe meaningful change takes people willing to listen, speak up, and sometimes compromise.

Compromise can be uncomfortable. Listening to someone whose opinion makes absolutely no sense to you can be uncomfortable, too.

Trust me, I get it.

But how are we ever going to understand one another if nobody is willing to pull up a chair?

Previously Backstage: Two Chairs at the Table: The One Who Hurts and Hides →

Can We Expect Change If We Don’t Use Our Voices?

This is where the movie really came full circle for me.

I’ve spent so much of this year learning to use my own voice.

To stop second-guessing myself. To speak up about things that matter. To trust that my thoughts and opinions have value.

And here I am, on Election Day, thinking about how that applies to all of us.

We can’t keep wishing things would change while expecting someone else to do all the participating.

Voting is one of the ways we have a say in what happens next.

And I know voting doesn’t solve every problem. There are plenty of issues that require work long after Election Day.

But participation matters.

Our communities need people who care enough to stay involved, ask questions, and hold leaders accountable.

As a Christian, I also keep coming back to Romans 12:18:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18, NIV)

Everyone.

That’s a pretty big word, isn’t it?

It includes the neighbor with a political sign in their yard that makes you roll your eyes.

The family member you know better than to bring up politics with at Thanksgiving dinner.

And yes, even the stranger online whose opinion makes absolutely no sense to you.

I’m still learning this, too.

I have my own convictions. There are things I feel strongly about. And goodness, I have moments when I get frustrated.

But I don’t want those frustrations to make me forget the person on the other side of the conversation.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

I keep thinking about that little pinecone.

How something that looks completely closed off can open under the right conditions.

How new growth can begin after a fire.

And I wonder what could grow if we gave one another a little more room.

Room to speak.

Room to listen.

Room to learn.

Maybe even room to change our minds.

I don’t know what tomorrow’s headlines will say or how everyone will feel when the election results come in.

But I do know that tomorrow, we’ll still be neighbors.

We’ll still be parents, grandparents, friends, and coworkers.

We’ll still need one another.

And we’ll still have opportunities to make our communities better.

So if you’re eligible to vote and haven’t voted yet, I hope you’ll consider using your voice today.

Learn about the candidates and issues. Make your own decisions. Vote according to your convictions.

And when you encounter someone who sees things differently, remember that they have a story, too.

Your voice matters. My voice matters. Every voice matters.

Maybe it’s time we made a little more room at the table.

Red, white, and blue. ❤️🤍💙

P.S. Still need to figure out where to vote? You can find your state’s official voting information and polling-place resources at Vote.gov. 🇺🇸

💌 Let’s Talk About It

Have you ever felt so frustrated with politics that you wondered whether voting even mattered?

And here’s another question I’d really love for us to think about:

When was the last time you sat down and genuinely listened to someone who saw the world differently than you?

Come find me in the Pen Pal section of The Sweet Spot. I’d love to hear what you think.

Until our next chat. Just stay sweet out there.

I love you, Jenn 💋
Don’t quit in the quiet.

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