06 Nov The Short Version: 2016 Presidential Election

The point of it all is to break down the headlines, determine why an issue is important and reveal the best arguments on each side of the story. In some of  the most recent iterations of The Short Version, Cleo Abram looked at the pros and cons of “trigger warnings and online voting. This week’s blog is about,well, you guessed it: the upcoming election and how everyone can have an impact.

Note: If you have missed any of Cleo’s blogs, just go to our Home Page, type “The Short Version” into Search (magnifying glass icon) and poof, like magic, all her blogs will appear.

“I love getting feedback every week—thank you! If you want come hang out, debate a thing or two, and meet other Shorties, check out Short Events,” says Cleo. “Or if you have a topic you’d be interested in guest writing, just let me know! Let’s make it happen.”

Cleo Constantine Abram of the “Short Form,” offering densely packed spins on issues of national and global importance.

What’s happening?

You may have heard there’s an election on Tuesday. Here’s how you can have the most impact:

Make a plan to vote. Look up your polling place ahead of time and check out what will be on your ballot.

Encourage others to vote. Using publicly available data, you can find out which of your friends might not turn out to vote and reach out to remind them.

Why is it important?

The outcomes on Tuesday—on the federal, state, and local levels—will have significant and lasting effects on the American economy and society.

Despite the mistaken and surprisingly widespread idea that this election “isn’t about policy,” policies are at stake on taxes, health care, immigration, climate change, and foreign affairs, not to mention at least one nomination to the Supreme Court.

Beyond the vote tally, voter turnout itself is crucial for the health of a representative democracy. In 2012, 53.6% of eligible Americans voted, landing U.S. voter turnout 31st among its 35 OECD peer countries.

Debate it!

What to expect on Tuesday night: Who will win the 2016 presidential election?

Eight+ years ago, Telluride Inside…and Out began as a lifestyle webzine. Today, in the full knowledge that Telluride is a window on the world, we continue to bring the “zazz” (short for “pizzazz) of the region to a local, national, and global audience by covering everything from Telluride’s robust cultural economy – major events and festivals – to health and fitness and outdoor adventure. When Telluride travels, we write about places to go, people to meet too. (That’s part of the “Out” part of our handle, the other, obviously, Outdoors.)

And now, this new weekly column, “The Short Version,” which offers simple summaries of issues of national and global importance. (Though we won’t go political, or rather we won’t show bias in the upcoming election.)

“The Short Version” is written by Cleo Constantine Abram, the daughter of Telluride locals Eleni Constantine and Jonathan Abram (and therefore an honorary local and regular visitor) and a digital strategist.

Why “The Short Version”? Because, though we live in Shangri-La, our bubble is not impermeable and the rest of the world is only a click away. Because there is no inconsequential action; only consequential inaction. And because information is power in a moment so many of us are feeling powerless.

More about Cleo Constantine Abram:

Cleo grew up in Washington D.C., lives in New York City, and loves to visit her parents in Telluride. She authors “The Short Version,” a newsletter that explains each week’s most important issue and both sides of the debate around it.

Cleo is a digital strategist now working at Vox, a general interest news site for the 21st century. Its mission is simple: Explain the news. Politics, public policy, world affairs, pop culture, science, business, and more.

Cleo’s work focuses on ways to share, educate, and inform using online platforms. While in college at Columbia University, she guided the school’s entrance into online education through her role as the youngest elected representative to the Columbia Senate, which makes university-wide policy.

She continued her work on online education at TED-Ed, the educational branch of the nonprofit, building new programs and online tools to support high school teachers worldwide.

Continuing her work with TED, Cleo founded and led an early TEDx conference, the organization’s community-specific series.

Most importantly, Cleo loves to ski.