Be the Drum Major


Be the Drum Major

By Brenda A. Sheriff, CSA

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, we have a chance to shape decisions that reach from Washington to Springfield to Cook County, and into our own neighborhoods. Voting can feel like one more task on a crowded calendar. This year, make it something you look forward to: a shared outing, a chance to reconnect, and a practical way to have a say in the choices that affect daily life.

If you have already voted, your work is not done. Become what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the “Drum Major,” the one who steps out front, sets the pace, and leads others forward through service. Get on the phone and check on your friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they have voted or have a way to get to the polls. If you have not yet voted, then on Tuesday you are the Drum Major: gather your people and bring them along, “by any means necessary,” in the words of Malcolm X. Every vote you help deliver is a victory you can claim.

This may be the most important election day of our lifetime, and there should be no excuses. Each of us has not only a right but a responsibility to vote in this midterm election, and each of us can help someone else do the same. Choose a time Tuesday that works for everyone and make the trip an outing.  Whether you walk or ride together, make this outing to vote be a celebration with a meal or simply a casual conversation over coffee under the “golden arches”.

Leave no stone unturned. Call an older relative, neighbor, or friend and ask if they’d like to go. Offer a ride or coordinate a time and place to meet to go to the poll. Keep the conversation welcoming: people make their own choices in the booth, and friends don’t have to agree on every race to share the experience of voting. As Drum Major, you might even gather your group beforehand to talk about which offices are on the ballot and how they affect our lives.

There is plenty to consider. Federally, Illinois voters will choose a U.S. senator and a U.S. representative. The Senate race is especially consequential, as Sen. Dick Durbin is retiring from the seat he has held since 1996. These officials help shape national laws and budgets on health care, immigration, the economy, and the country’s role in the world.

At the state level, voters will choose a governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, and treasurer, plus every Illinois House seat and 39 Illinois Senate seats. These offices influence the state budget, public services, legal matters, driver’s licenses, and state finances.

Cook County races matter close to home, too. The county board president oversees major systems, including the jail, courts, and public health services. Your ballot may also include county and regional offices, local judges, and retention questions. Chicago voters will elect members of the Chicago Board of Education in the city’s first fully elected school board election, helping set the direction for Chicago Public Schools.

Read the ballot questions carefully. Chicago voters will see advisory questions on gunshot-detection technology and a permanent festival and outdoor-event space. Advisory questions measure public opinion rather than directly changing policy, but they let residents be heard. Contests vary by address, so check your sample ballot first.

You don’t need to know everything about every race. Learn about the offices that matter most to you, compare candidates’ priorities, and note any questions to revisit. Then make a plan and invite someone along.

Ask everyone you contact to check their registration, verify their polling place, and review the candidates and questions in advance. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. So, if your efforts result into an outing y’all can agree to meet for a meal or simply find a place to come together to “chew the fat”.  The idea is to make election day a group experience of shared fun and function – by enjoying a joint experience of doing our part to “Keep Hope Alive”.  Who knows, you may be establishing a tradition to make voting an enjoyable group experience for years to come.

Dr. King reminded us that the Drum Major leads not for glory but for service. You don’t need a title, a platform, or a perfect plan to be a change agent, only a phone, a willingness to ask, and the pride of knowing someone voted because you showed up for them. You encouraging and perhaps helping people get to the polls won’t solve every problem, but it can turn a solitary chore into a community habit, and a community habit into power.

Chicago’s future is shaped by national debates and also by decisions about schools, public health, courts, roads, and public services. On Nov. 3, take part in choosing who makes them. Somewhere on Tuesday, a neighbor or friend will walk into a polling place because of your call. That is leadership. Bring a friend, call an elder, and be the Drum Major.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ:  What is one reliable way a voter can determine how an elected official has performed while in office?

Answer to Last Week's Quiz: The most important thing you can do before voting is to research the candidate’s record, qualifications, and positions on the issues that matter to you and those you love.

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 basheriff1@gmail.com  Watch, like and subscribe to “Conversations With the Citizen”

Disclaimer: The illustrations and examples presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, tax, insurance, or other licensed professional advice. Readers should consult the licensed professional of their choice regarding their individual circumstances.



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