The local ski hill doesnt have snow yet, but yards in town are sprinkled with local political signs.
Its election season again here in the United States.
At least here in Teton Valley, the election cycle always lines up with the ski season.
We held our primary elections back in May, as the diehards skied their last few spring lines.
In November well cast our votes 10 days before the hill opens back up for the season.
Its easy, and its important.
In mountain towns theres often a disconnect between our day-to-day lives and far-off political machinations.
At the local level, elections impact my skiing directly.
My home hill is expanding this year, and has an even more ambitious expansion in the works.
If you live in or visit a ski town, youre dealing with a housing crisis.
Local elections determine how well address that crisis.
And on top of that, local elections also determine our sheriff and coroner.
That means the person you elect will directly affect their ability to operate.
We also elect a county coroner.
That person has a lot of power in any incident that involves an avalanche fatality.
These are important jobs.
Voting ensures that we choose competent folks to do them.
State ballots also have an impact on day-to-day life beyond their more obvious roles.
For example, back in 2018 I was working a high-paying job with great health insurance.
But on our Idaho state ballot we had the option to expand Medicaid coverage.
I voted for it based on principle, because I believe our medical system is broken and predatory.
Now, four years later, Im on Medicaid.
It also allowed me to have a vasectomy.
You know what really cuts into your skiing time?
That vote for Medicaid expansion didnt feel that important then, but it sure does now.
In 2018 my partner experienced an ectopic pregnancy during ski season.
Luckily that crisis was resolved eventually, and she recovered fully.
Dying of a treatable ectopic pregnancy is not good for ones skiing.
Being prosecuted for dealing with it isnt either.
Voting wont fix everything.
Voting wont give you strong ACLs and endless powder.
But its a start.
Pay attention, read your local paper, get involved, get invested.
Get registered, do your research.
