Dear Wanda,

Its great that you are so involved in politics! The right to vote is one of the greatest privileges we have as Americans, and it's wonderful that you are so passionate about participation. However, since not everyone agrees on candidates or issues and it's often easy to offend, here are some ideas on how to display your enthusiasm without stepping on toes.

Channel your passion.
Just because you need to be professional doesn't mean you can't be patriotic.You can get excited about the election without being specific about a candidate or an issue. At the office, convert your excitement for your candidate into passion for the right to vote. Encourage coworkers to vote, and approach your boss with an idea or two about how to remind your department about Election Day, registering to vote, or key debate dates.

Be sensitive.
People are often very responsive to political discussions, but not always in a way that's appropriate for the office. Even if you can keep your emotions in check during a political discussion, it's possible that others can't and their outburst may make other coworkers uncomfortable. Be considerate of everyone's feelings.

Keep everything professional.
Even though the workplace is a community in many ways, it's important to remember that an office should be a professional environment. When your coworkers think of you, you want them to remember the quality of work that you do and not your political affiliation. Even though you're free to believe what you please, discussing beliefs in the office could put the spotlight on you in the wrong way. You don't want to jeopardize your reputation.

Remember that you never know who may be listening.
Even if you think you know the opinions of someone you're talking to, it's not always possible to know everything they believe or even who may be listening in on the conversation. You don't want to offend anyone accidentally.

If someone else is talking about politics, try to avoid the conversation.
If a coworker insists on bringing up specific issues or candidates, politely steer the conversation to other topics. If they insist on pressing you for your opinions or are aggressive about their own, say that you have an important deadline approaching and really need to get back to work.

Keep it extracurricular.
If you know someone else in the office loves politics and likes to discuss it, it's okay to talk to them about it - just make sure it's outside the office. Invite them to lunch and once you're off campus, let the debate begin.

As long as you're respectful of your coworkers, you should be able to enjoy a great election and keep your workplace reputation intact.

Happy voting!

Seymour