"People-Vote"

Tis the season to vote. As I write this, the Democratic party has just completed its national convention week. Bottom line was no surprise: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were voted to be the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates for this coming November's election. Next week will be the Republican party's turn. There are not any major suprises expected as this party is expected to reconfirm Donald Trump and Mike Pence as their presidential team. (Of course,Trump and Pence already hold the positions of president and vice president so in November they will be trying to hang onto their seats.) As has been the case in the majority of presidential elections in U.S. history, this year's election will be another case of challengers versus champs. Though the election is not set for nearly another two and a half months, already passions from supporters on both sides are beginning to build. I, too, can feel my pulse speeding up even at this early date despite the fact this will be my fourteenth presidential election. Regarding the results, my own prediction is there will be a very large voter turnout and that the election will be close.(No, I do not intend to identify my preference.) As a communicator, my sense is the team that wins will be the one that does the most effective job of telling its story. It has long been my sense that even though people have their own political philosophies and priorities, they usually cast their vote for the candidate with whom they can best relate. Here in 2020 as well as past elections, voters will be casting what I call "people-vote." While all humans are intellectu, they are also emotional beings. Generally, Presidential contests are emotional enterprises designed to motivate voters to act on what their hearts tell them versus what their heads say. The team that pushes the most emotional buttons this time around will be the one having its hands raised in victory.