Moderates like me do not conform to the prevailing stereotypes of Republican or Democrat, which makes us a frustrating yet important group to pundits come Election Day. We like to think for ourselves and question what we hear, which means we’re often unswayed by partisan rhetoric. Perhaps most unnerving for politicians is that we choose values over political dogma and reserve the right to change our minds. This makes our actions challenging to control or predict, despite the great consequence of our votes.
While the calibrated approach that many moderates take is generally deemed advantageous in business, it is frequently undervalued and overlooked in civil society. Those who sit at political extremes often control their party’s messaging with provocative and contentious conversations (amplified by social media), while moderates tend to be less zealous and attention grabbing. And while those at the political extremes can be prone to groupthink, moderates typically forge their own paths instead of banding together. According to 2018 data from Pew Research Center, we are less likely to attend political rallies, contact local representatives or share a political viewpoint on social media. But this doesn’t mean moderates don’t have opinions worth paying attention to.