Why Meghan Markle Isn't Voting in the Midterm Elections
It's clear that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, understands the responsibility of the right to vote.
"The right to vote is something for which blood, sweat, and tears have been shed; the struggle was endless for us to have this liberty," the Duchess wrote in a post titled "Because You Must" in November of 2016 on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.
In case you have somehow forgotten, stakes were high on election day two years ago. Markle had already made her thoughts known about Trump, calling him "divisive" and "misogynistic" in an interview with Larry Wilmore, and she had also posted an Instagram in support of Hillary Clinton with the hashtag #Imwithher. But she wasn't pushing a political agenda in her blog post; she simply wanted people to vote.
"I ticked the boxes on my absentee ballot last week, closing my eyes and thinking of my great grandparents who didn’t have this right (and thinking of how it would have changed the lives of my grandparents if they had)," she wrote. "So on this day we urge you to exercise said right. Please vote. The fact that we can makes us the lucky ones."
From a legal perspective, Duchess Meghan is technically allowed to vote. While she officially joined the royal family in May when she married Prince Harry, she is still a US citizen. (Apparently the British immigration process takes a long time...even when you have an in with the Queen.)
But it's highly unlikely that she will. Members of the royal family must remain apolitical on both domestic issues and international ones.
The royal family's website explains, "As Head of State The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote or stand for election," and the rest of the family follows suit.
Furthermore, according to the UK parliament website, "Although not prohibited by law, it is considered unconstitutional for the Monarch to vote in an election."
And in 2017, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Newsweek that "'by convention,' members of the royal family 'close to the Queen' do not exercise their right to vote."
Even though Meghan almost certainly won't be casting a ballot this fall, royal fans in the States should still heed her words.
"To be able to share your voice, and to weigh in on the choice of political leaders and legislation that will set the foundation for our futures (not to mention, that of our children)," Meghan wrote. "Well, we could wax poetic on this, but it seems fairly evident…you, my sweet, simply must vote."
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