On November 5th, it’s Election Day in the United States! If you are eligible, please go and vote. Whether you vote in person or by mail, participating in our democracy is crucial. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of our community and country. Remember, every vote counts! Visit vote.gov for more information.

In today’s post, I will explore voting through the lens of cybernetics. In the United States, the president is elected based on the number of electoral votes, which are allocated by each state. This means that a candidate can win the popular vote yet fail to become president if they lack sufficient electoral votes. This often leads to the feeling that my vote doesn’t count, particularly if I’m not from a swing state. A swing state typically fluctuates between the two major political parties. Voting is our means of expressing our voices and participating in democracy. In today’s post, I am highlighting the importance of voting and hope to persuade readers that every vote truly matters.

The term ‘Cybernetics’ is derived from the Greek word for ‘steersman.’ Cybernetics focuses on goal-oriented processes and error correction through feedback loops. In a cybernetic system, a controller establishes the goal, while a control mechanism uses a comparator to measure deviations and an actuator to modify the course as needed. The field distinguishes between first and second order cybernetics. First order cybernetics is the cybernetics of observed systems. In this, we have the observer who is separated from the system they are observing. Here, there is a clear distinction between the subject and the object. Second order cybernetics, on the other hand, is the cybernetics of cybernetics. The self-referential nature means that the observer is now part of the system they are observing.

This distinction becomes crucial when we consider voting. Through first order cybernetics, we might simply ask, “Does my vote really matter?” But second order cybernetics prompts us to ask, “How am I part of what makes my vote matter or not?” The first order view sees the voting system as fixed and unchangeable. The second order perspective recognizes that we are part of the system we’re observing – the patterns exist because of how people (including ourselves) act. We construct this reality, and by understanding our role in this construction, we can identify opportunities to break cycles.

When we choose not to vote based on a first order view, we actively maintain the status quo, fulfilling our own prophecy about votes not mattering. Our belief in the system’s immutability contributes to its rigidity. Conversely, by voting, we participate in collective construction – not predicting outcomes, but helping to create them. This shift from seeing the voting system as external (first order) to recognizing our role in shaping it (second order) empowers voters as active participants rather than passive bystanders.

This type of thinking does not just promote voting; it offers a framework for thinking about participation in any system where individual and collective actions feed back into the system itself. It encourages a dynamic, participatory outlook which can potentially lead to a change from the current stable state.

Second order cybernetics promotes ethical considerations. Heinz von Foerster, the Socrates of Cybernetics, developed the ethical imperative. This states that “I shall act always so as to increase the total number of choices.” I am responsible for my own actions as well as inactions. Not voting reduces the possible states of the future. The future is yet to be determined. By voting, we are ensuring that the future has the capacity for more options. By voting, we are not just being observers; we are actively creating it with other participants. My actions are creating possibilities for myself and others. We are all connected in creating choices. My choices should promote kindness and the wellbeing of all. Everyone should be able to make choices for themselves, and this includes bodily autonomy. I am reminded of the following quote from one of my favorite TV characters, Doctor Who:

“Human progress isn’t measured by industry. It’s measured by the value you place on a life… an unimportant life… a life without privilege. The boy who died on the river, that boy’s value is your value. That’s what defines an age. That’s… what defines a species.”

Von Foerster also said, “If you desire to see, learn how to act.” By this, he meant that observation is not passive. We can only understand a situation by actively engaging with it. Action and perception are circularly linked. To understand the political system, we must participate in it. Not participating in it reduces our ability to see possibilities. Acting in it creates new ways to see and understand. If we do not engage by not voting, we allow ourselves to have cognitive blind spots. We cannot see how the political system can be different because we are not acting within it. We cannot understand the situation from the outside alone. Our actions create new ways of seeing.

We should exercise our civic duty of voting in all elections, including local elections. This allows us to notice the small changes within our community. We learn how close elections can be. The local elections elect individuals who can, in turn, have a large impact on our community. We are not trying to predict whether our vote matters; instead, we are making it matter through consistent participation.

Another important idea in second order cybernetics is that of recursion. No election cycle is independent. Each builds upon the previous cycles. Stable patterns can emerge from recursive operations. The current voting patterns emerge from historical patterns, but those patterns persist only because people continue to act based on the very same patterns. These patterns can be broken when enough people challenge their assumptions about what is possible. The observer (voter) is circularly connected to the observed. The voter’s perception of the system’s responsiveness is part of the system. The belief in the futility of voting is itself a crucial system component. Breaking this circular belief can lead to moving away from the current stable pattern. These stabilities are products of recursive operations and not some fixed laws.

I will finish with this wonderful quote attributed to Margaret Mead, whose 1968 paper inspired Heinz von Foerster to develop “Cybernetics of Cybernetics”:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Always keep on learning.