The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Board of Director’s decision to rescind the 1985 Presidential Endorsement process and replace it with a Presidential Engagement Policy received mixed reviews from the nursing community. Some nurses were appalled that a leading nursing organization would fail to endorse a more suitable candidate during this presidential election. For some, this was particularly disturbing given President Trump’s handling of the pandemic and his ongoing bashing of key experts and agencies who have ably provided science-based guidance to protect the public’s health for decades. As nurses who are committed to advancing the public’s health, I can understand why some nurses were disappointed with ANA’s decision. After all, there is growing consensus that our nation deserves a better and more trustworthy leadership. Further, there is ample evidence that the nation’s health is at stake.
However, it is not surprising that some organizations would shy away from endorsing political candidates. While the ANA represents hundreds of nurses across the country, they do not speak for ALL nurses. In fact, because of its diverse membership, it is inevitable that political affiliations and political perspectives would be diverse as well. Thus, the ability to make an endorsement that reflects the perspectives of such a diverse membership would be problematic, to say the least. Given that voting is also a personal responsibility, the ball will always be in our courts to evaluate presidential hopefuls as individual voters with or without an organization’s endorsement.
In response to this disappointment, a group of nurse leaders moved quickly to organize a “Nurses for Biden-Harris” campaign urging the profession and public to vote for Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. These organizers believe that a Biden Harris agenda would be more responsive to addressing one of the nation’s most pressing needs, equitable and accessible health care.
“We urge Americans to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.” “The health and wellbeing of our nation are at stake,” were some of the sentiments put forth by this group. As nurses, we have a personal and professional responsibility to vote on behalf of the health and well-being of those we love and serve. I believe that regardless of the ANA’s position, nurses must and will vote for what is best for health care, the profession, and society as a whole.
- Voting: A Nursing Imperative That Needs No Endorsement - October 30, 2020