I think voting is usually more powerful than protesting.

Voting does matter. In many cases, I think voting matters more than protesting. I've been to some protests, so I see it as one tool, but voting is more powerful.

In the past, like around 2020, there were many angry protests that were counterproductive. Some of the anti police rhetoric, back then, was used to fuel Trump's return to power.

More recently, there has been the No Kings Rallies which were peaceful and respectful. The last No Kings was encouraging people to vote and use a drop box.

I feel like voting and our lifestyle / consumption patterns are the most powerful tools for social change. Consumption drives market forces. Voting determines politics.

Years ago, I remember the Occupy Protests. Occupy Wall Street was a big one. I remember being in some of those crowds, but more to observe, or just going with the flow. Looking back, I don't think the Occupy Protests were that effective.

People often have reasons for not voting. Some of it is not wanting to vote for what they say is the "lesser of two evils." This can make things even worse. It's like being a self-fulfilling prophecy. I tend to believe that the most permanent change usually comes incrementally. Nothing is perfect, but we can step forward.

In Washington State, we have all absentee voting by mail or drop-box. For 2026 election, there was worry about the reliability of the Post Office under Trump Administration so there were public relations campaigns for placing our ballots in the county provided drop boxes.