What do you stand for?

Election day is four days away in 33 U.S. States. This annual democratic rite always causes me to reflect. I want to ask each candidate, “What do you stand for?” I do research on every candidate on my ballot, regardless of the position that they are hoping to be elected to. I review the planks of their platform. I want to know where each candidate stands on the issues, especially those that matter the most to me.  Each plank equals an issue: campaign finance / contributions, climate, crime, economics, education, environment, gun control, health care, housing, immigration, international relations, reproductive rights, sexual assault, social justice / racism, social security, taxes, violence against women, voting rights, etc. (You will notice that the list is alphabetized so as not to give away my priorities.) The combined planks create the platform. This is what the candidate stands for.

I will not necessarily align with a candidate on every one of their planks, (some issues are deal breakers) so I will consider the overall package. I will review their previous record—how they have voted on issues in the past, what statements they have made, what they have written, who they accept campaign contributions from, and whose company they keep.

The phrase, “take a stand” has been haunting me. I want people to speak up and declare their positions on things. This is extra hard right now. This year is fraught. There is a great deal at stake and every vote in every election counts more than ever. Will people be so turned off and overloaded by the nonstop barrage of bad news, violence, hate speech, and curtailment of rights that they will not bother to vote? There are certainly those who hope that will happen. I urge you to do the opposite. Vote. Encourage others to vote. Volunteer to be a poll watcher. Drive someone to the polls. Do something to hold the line of our democracy.

When speaking with a close friend about this blog post, he asked if I would share what I stand for. I replied, “Of course!” As anyone who knows me knows, I stand for making manifest the value of all people. What I mean by that is that we are all of equal value and my mission is to make that known or clear. That means that we all must be able to vote. We all must have equal protection under the rights that we have fought so hard to attain. That means that no one is illegal or disposable or unimportant. There are people who disagree with this, but I feel fairly confident that those people would argue that they matter and should have their rights protected and should not be disposed of or be treated as unimportant. In fact, I am completely confident that they would feel that way about themselves and the people who they value (their loved ones).

Take a Stand

So, I am asking you: What do you stand for? What really matters to you? One key way to express your opinion is by voting for candidates whose positions align with yours. By voting, you are saying (through the privacy of your ballot) “This is what I stand for.” Your vote is especially critical at the local level: school boards, county and town managers, clerks, or executives, local judges, council members, and on propositions that change the rules in your town, city, county and state.

You can find information about your specific ballot at Vote411.org . The League of Women Voters LWV.org facilitates non-partisan candidate forums and provides other information on voting and representatives. You can also do internet searches on each candidate to learn about them specifically.

Take a stand. Exercise your Constitutional rights by voting and help others to do so as well.

Onward!

~ Wendy

October 31, 2025  

Wendy Amengual Wark
Founder, Inclusion Strategy Solutions LLC
01-347-880-0777
InclusionStrategy.com