Who is looking out for you? Who has your best interest at heart?

When we vote, we are selecting leaders to look out for our best interests and pass laws that protect our health and financial well-being. We also expect our elected local, state and federal leaders to be truthful about the risks we are facing, take prudent action to reduce harm, and, just as importantly, tell us what we can do to protect ourselves and our families.

It’s natural to be cynical about those in government office. After all, our leaders have not always acted with integrity or looked out for our best interests. Nor have many acted in fairness to protect the interests of ALL the people they represent.

However, when we face a severe crisis that threatens our health and our very existence, that’s when we especially need elected officials who really care, who we can trust to do the right thing, have the guts to lead s and provide us with credible, useful information. We need those who “get it” without being impacted directly themselves and have our best interest in mind, not their own.

Take, for example, our elected officials’ response to the health and financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m not just talking about the president; I’m talking about those at the bottom of the ballot as well.

Their judgement and leadership—or lack thereof—has impacted the health and even the survival of Americans across the country and around the world during the worst health crisis in 100 years.

Consider the following:

· Which local, state and national officials decided at the start of the pandemic to impose strict measures to control the spread of the virus?

· Which ones served as role models and communicated important public health information regarding face coverings, social distancing, frequent handwashing and staying away from large gatherings?

· Which ones supported our healthcare professionals by ensuring adequate supplies of PPE?

· Which ones worked within the power of their office to make testing widely available?

· Did they have the integrity to tell us the truth so that we could act responsibly?

· Which ones ignored public health warnings and decided it was more important to continue business as usual, allowing the coronavirus to spread?

· Which officials supported sending extra financial help to millions of people who lost jobs due to the virus and to small and large businesses as well as state and local government agencies to keep them afloat?

Where do the candidates stand on those issues?

We need to ask ourselves if those running for reelection have earned our vote and another term on our payroll by looking out for our wellbeing. We need to listen to what all of the candidates are promising and evaluate what they have done, or not done. Can we trust them or are they in it just for themselves?

Do they realize that our health and the health of our economy are inextricably linked and that our economy will not recover until we vanquish the coronavirus?

In the past, Americans have joined together to defeat foreign enemies and domestic challenges. We rise to the occasion to support each other at times of crisis, helping our neighbors rebuild and regain hope. A crisis like COVID-19 requires national leadership supported by all levels of government speaking with one voice to defeat a deadly virus that does not care about geographic boundaries, political party, age or ethnicity.

The stakes are too high to let others determine our fate. Don’t let this opportunity slip by. Whether you vote by mail or in person, the important thing is to make your voice heard on Nov 3. And make sure you don’t just vote at the top of the ticket but also for all of the offices at the state and local level as well.

–Ellen Beth Levitt