DEAR HARRIETTE: I am in an interracial relationship and have been for four years. With the election coming up, my boyfriend, who is white, told me that he will not be voting because he does not support either of the candidates. I told him how important it is to vote and that we should exercise our right. I offered to let him come with me so we can vote for Biden together.
He then shared that, if he were required to vote, out of the two major candidates he would most likely vote for Trump over Biden. He says he doesn’t particularly agree with Trump's views, but he also does not agree with Biden’s views. I told him that in the interest of our interracial relationship, Biden is more on our side, so we should support him together. My boyfriend strongly disagreed and dropped the conversation. He couldn’t give me an answer as to why he would vote for Trump. Then he just concluded the argument by saying, “This is exactly why I will not be voting.” What does this mean? I’m having trouble processing and coming to terms of what this conversation meant. -- Interracial Voter
DEAR INTERRACIAL VOTER: This election is more polarizing than any I have seen in my lifetime. While I am not going to tell you who you or your boyfriend should vote for, I will say that it is smart to talk about the specific views that each candidate has on issues that matter to you. Go to their websites and pull up their statements on the issues that you care about. Debate what they have actually said rather than what you have heard second-hand.
Instead of arguing with your boyfriend, ask him to explain why he thinks Trump would be better for his life and for yours. It is worth further discussion even if it is difficult. Essentially, you want to know each other’s views about life and what’s important to you. These candidates help to delineate certain values. You should get clear on what each of you feels about how to build the economy, the right to life, women’s rights, health care and government support of the poor. Regardless of who you vote for, you should know if you two are on the same page on these key issues.