It’s Here—The Iron Bowl

Guest Opinion by Amanda Pusczek

It’s here. The Iron Bowl. The one day a year when time stops. The entire state shuts down. Jerseys come out, smack talk picks up, and every TV and radio in Alabama syncs to the same channel. Roads and stores go quiet as we collectively hold our breath for our team.

And yet; when Election Day arrives each November, Alabama carries on as if it’s any other Tuesday.

Last year, less than sixty percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in a presidential election; the lowest turnout in our state since 1988. In my own district, Congressional District 4, only thirty-four percent of eligible voters stepped into the booth.

Meanwhile, Alabama faces some of the most serious challenges in the country. We have the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, making this one of the most dangerous places in the developed world to give birth. Rural hospitals are on the brink of closure—nine of them in my district alone. If they shut their doors, nine of our thirteen counties would be left without a hospital at all.

Doctors and medical professionals are fleeing the state at unprecedented rates. The cost of living has skyrocketed well beyond the pace of wages. Affordable housing is nearly impossible to find, and public housing waitlists stretch two years or more. Public schools are projected to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to students shifting to private options or simply disenrolling. And our aging population is left with dwindling safety nets as they lose the ability to live independently.

What are we doing here, folks?

We can rally behind our teams one day a year—planning weeks in advance, firing up the grill, and gathering around the TV with snacks and koozies. We cheer for universities that many of us never attended, and that our children may never be able to afford thanks to the state of student loans.

Much like politics, we split into Red versus Blue. Mascot versus mascot. We stand by our teams with our whole chests. But should we?

Teams are branding. A symbol under which the masses gather. And just like the teams taking the field today, no political party is infallible.

Meanwhile, our healthcare system is crumbling. Our public schools are struggling. Thousands of Alabamians are teetering on the edge of economic despair. We cannot afford to keep voting by party. We must vote for candidates. Lives depend on it. Our lives.

Those of us who are politically engaged now shoulder the responsibility of re-engaging our neighbors, friends, and families. Voting is both a right and a civic duty. Next November must be the biggest game day of all. With the same commitment, planning, and excitement as Alabama’s favorite day of the year. (And here’s a hint: it ain’t Christmas.)

Because voting is not a game. It shapes our future. It amplifies our voices. It is a right our forebearers died for, and it should never be taken for granted.

So enjoy today. Yell at every fumble and misstep. Your “enemy” this afternoon goes back to being your friend tomorrow—the kind of healing elections can also provide. And then, come spring, vote in the primaries. Come fall, vote in the general. Make queso if you have to. Whip out the koozies. Because more is at stake than a trophy or a title. At stake are our children, our families, our neighbors, our future.

And they deserve every bit as much attention as the Iron Bowl.

Roll Tide.

Amanda Pusczek is a seasoned medical professional and lifelong advocate for marginalized and “othered” communities. Her decades of nursing have shown her what policy failures look like in real life — families bankrupted by illness, rural hospitals shuttered, patients turned away. Amanda is running for Congress as a Democrat in Alabama’s 4th District because care should not depend on your ZIP code, income, or job.

For more information, visit https://www.amandaforalabama.com or follow her on social media.

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