“I haven’t voted yet, and I don’t think I’m going to.”

I looked at my friend.

He doesn’t want to get into it right now.

But the election is today. He doesn’t have much time. And he’s at work.

I blame myself for not having brought it up sooner.

Some people are resistant. This was the election about gerrymandering. He expressed ambivalence.

“I’m not in favor of the whole thing. I mean, I’m against gerrymandering. It’s undemocratic. It controls the vote. Why would I vote for something I’m against?”

I looked at the clock.

I tried. “I feel the same way. I just hate having to make a choice. I don’t want to vote for something that’s wrong, that I don’t agree with.

“But if I don’t vote, trying to strike a blow against the whole rotten system that doesn’t give me the choices I want, registering my voice to say “a plague on both your houses,” then what have I done? By denying my vote to the lesser of two evils, I’ve given the advantage to the greater of two evils.

“If the lesser of two evils wins, it has the opportunity to employ the system to make the changes which will de-fang the greater evil.

“I need to take the long view, hold my nose and vote, but keep working toward that better world.

“What is it that I want? How can I get it?

“If people can see it that way, select what and how to compromise, then yes, there’s hope. But don’t just stop there. That’s what too many people do, they vote in a compromise and then they quit.”

I’m watching the clock, my friend is still working. I haven’t been able to make my pitch.

I console myself, because I have to, that however this election goes, the bigger one is coming up next year. So I’d better start now to work, tactfully, respectfully, persuasively, on those non-involved non-voters.

My friend is still my friend.

I’ll start with that and go from there.