It’s almost October—the month before what may be the most crucial elections of our lifetime. This election will determine whether the Republicans maintain control Senate, and whether there is any hope of defeating the racist, misogynist agenda and massive corruption that Trump represents. Climate change is ravaging the planet, inequality is growing and being enforced with rampant brutality, and we need everyone to stand up and use the power that we have to call for a different vision of integrity and caring.

Or at the very least, to show the arrogant liars that crime does not pay!

But sometimes voting seems like a civics test you haven’t prepared for. What are all those initiatives on the ballot? What does Comptroller mean anyway and how do I know who would be best for the job?

That’s where the apple pie comes into it. Politics and Apple Pie is a tradition started by Carin McKay—chef and author of a cookbook, Culinary Magic, together with chef extraordinaire Max Rosenblum. Overwhelmed by the amount of study required to make an informed decision about what to vote for, they decided to make a party of it and have some fun. Who doesn’t love apple pie? Of course it goes with politics! And vavoom, 10 years later we have a tradition! Now we want to encourage others to have their own Politics and Apple pie events! Here’s what you do:

• Set a date. This year, make it early—ASAP! Because it’s important for everyone who will be voting by mail to get it in early! With all the shenanigans they are pulling with the Post Office, that’s the best way to assure your vote counts, and will arrive by election day to be counted! You may also be able to drop it off yourself, or take advantage of early voting. Whatever you do, you’ll want to have this gathering early on so everyone can be prepared.
• Invite a group of like-minded friends who share your political values. The purpose of this gathering is mutual research and support—not to pick an argument with your most right-wing acquaintance. . The gathering might be physical, with appropriate social distancing—like an afternoon gathering in a garden or park. Or, this year, it might be a Zoom gathering.
• Assign each person two to three issues or candidates to research depending on how many are on the ballot. I vary the assignments between individual candidates, state and local issues. I tell people to study at least 30-40 minutes on each issue. Send people some good study links.(we like the SF league of Pissed off Voters in our area, or the Bay Guardian, and the voter guides sent to you as a starting point)
• Ask your guests to bring their voting propaganda and drinks and snacks to the event, if in person, or to have them nearby to celebrate virtually.
• Make the Apple Pie the day before the event.
• Pick who is going to facilitate the discussion. If you are hosting, it will likely be you. Pick a timekeeper. Based on how many people are there and how many issues, decide on a total time allotted per issue. We often choose 7-10 minutes per issue.
• Here is the format. Go down the list of issues and ask, for example, who is in charge of prop A ? That person will have about 3-5 minutes to give a report of what the issue is, what are the pros and cons, who is for or against the issue. Then open it up for others to contribute their information to the discussion.
• We will often bounce between local and state measures when we are asking people to give their report. You want to keep it moving so no one person does all their reports at once.
• At the mid way point, stop and have some apple pie and snacks to get your second wind! Put on some music! Dance!
• Resume. At the end,, weigh all the propaganda you have gotten in the mail. If you want, you can toss them in the fire stating your intention for the election. Do a ritual. Or Recycle.
• At the appropriate time—vote! Remember, this year, the earlier you can vote, the better!

It’s as simple as that, it’s fun, pleasurable, and who knows—you might make a new friend or meet that Special Someone. And when you go into the voting booth or fill out your mail-in ballot, you’ll feel well prepared!

Warning—if you use the apple pie recipe you MUST vote, or we can’t be answerable for what will happen. Remember, voting lowers cholesterol and well-prepared voting will boost your immune system and greatly reduce your stress levels in the coming year.

p.s. Are you registered? You can find out at Vote Save America, a website put up by the folks at Crooked Media. I have really been enjoying their podcasts, especially Hysteria—all women!—and Pod Save America, which is kind of like listening to the smart guys on West Wing talk about current politics except these guys are real former staffers from Obama’s White House. Anyway, the website is an easy way to check and to find out how to register if you’re not.

Voting might take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours of your life—and even if you would rather see a revolution it won’t deter you for long from your dedicated work of fomenting. And it will make a difference! Ask the children in cages at the border, the tens of millions who stand to lose health insurance, the people of color whose civil rights and very existence is on the line—actually, everybody’s civil rights are on the line. The 200,000 dead from Covid-19 and the millions more who have been infected and may suffer health consequences for years to come. And then there’s the corruption the pandering to Putin and finally the earth herself—we are out of time to address climate change. As never before, this year, every vote counts—and what you do, matters!