Tuesday’s election gave me a lot to think about.
This isn’t about whether I won or lost. I respect the voters, and I respect the outcome. What I’ve been thinking about is the process and whether we’re really giving voters and candidates a fair shot.
I’ve been on both sides of this—as an elected official and as a candidate. What I saw wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing.
Too many people never get the chance to hear from every candidate. If you don’t have the right connections, the right endorsements or years of political relationships, it’s a lot harder to get your message in front of voters. That’s not because your ideas aren’t good. It’s because the system isn’t built to introduce people to new voices.
We say we want fresh leadership, but we don’t always make room for it.
I also think we need to make voting easier. Polling locations change. There are a lot of voting sites. Even people who vote regularly sometimes aren’t sure where they’re supposed to go.
On Election Day, I stopped by several polling places. Some were busy. Others were nearly empty. It made me wonder if we’re making the process more complicated than it needs to be. If we can simplify it without making it harder for anyone to vote, we should at least be willing to have that conversation.
Then there are sample ballots.
There’s nothing wrong with organizations supporting the candidates they believe in. That’s politics. But for many voters, those sample ballots become their only source of information. If that’s the case, then we need to do a better job making sure voters have opportunities to hear directly from every candidate before they make their decision.
There’s another conversation we need to have, and it may be the hardest one.
Too many people believe you have to know the right people, be part of the right circle or get permission before you’re considered a serious candidate. Whether that’s true in every case isn’t really the point. If enough people believe it, good leaders will decide it’s not worth running.
And when that happens, our communities lose.
I’ve spent most of my life serving this county. I’ve done it as an educator, a commissioner, a photojournalist, a community advocate and, most importantly, as a father. None of those roles came from political connections. They came from showing up.
That’s what I believe public service is supposed to be.
We shouldn’t build a political culture where access matters more than service or where relationships matter more than results. We should build one where hard work, integrity and commitment to the community actually count.
This isn’t about changing the outcome of an election. It’s about improving the process for the next person who decides to step up and serve.
Prince George’s County has no shortage of talented people. We just need to make sure they believe there’s room for them.
Because when more people participate, our democracy gets stronger.
And that’s something all of us should want.
Anthony Tilghman is a Prince George’s County father, award-winning photojournalist, education advocate and community leader.
