Insomnia may be overstating it a little bit, but regardless, I can't sleep and I feel like I have to express my thoughts on the upcoming election in a mini-essay. You've been warned.
The United States was designed on the participation of the governed in the politcal process. The fear of monarchy and tyranny was very strong in the framers' minds, and they gave power to the common men. In the Constitution's beauty of ambiguity, we, as a nation, have managed to prosper in the volatile political environment known as Earth.
Our strengths have always been clear to ourselves and the rest of the world. We have the best political process in history not because of its dual nature of being both democratic and republican, but because of the strength and security we draw from our Constitution.
Every major decision made in this country, such as the ratification of our most sacred document, have come to be executed based on voting. Instead of having a haphazard meritocracy of a few happy people and a much bigger group of unhappy people, we have a system where every vote is equal. Every say is equally represented.
There is only one flaw to the way that our country functions, and that is apathy.
Voter apathy is anything but new. People that have refused to take a stance on an issue at hand have existed ever since the beginnings of our nation. Even if these people don't vote on an issue, or for a candidate, they still make a choice. This aspect of America is extremely important.
Choosing not to vote is one thing, but not caring enough to vote is a different issue.
I will be turning 18 on November 1, 2008, a mere 3 days before the Presidential Election. I'm extremely fortunate to be able to participate in such an important event, and I have full intention of voting.
I know of too many people that won't vote because they don't care. They reason that one vote isn't going to matter in deciding the nomination for the next President.
I refuse to take such a pessimistic stance on the issue. If everyone had this apathetic attitude towards the political process, then the machine of democracy would fail as its fuel source refuses to engage.
There are so many benefits to voting. One has the pleasure of saying "I elected that person into office" if their candidate of choice gains office. The voter has even more indulgence in showing off correct choice if the person holding office does a good job.
This isn't a call to just my peers. If I could, I would get everyone to read this post and understand what I'm asking, which is this:
If you are eligible to vote in the upcoming Presidential election, do so. Register to vote and speak out on Election Day.
Our country is too precious to collapse due to lack of voter participation. I want to see this country thrive for as long as I live.
I don't mean for anyone to take this as a self-righteous post about how I'm voting in this next election. I don't mean for anyone to take this as criticism if you choose not to vote because you don't agree with any candidate.
But I do mean for you to take this as a reminder to finish one easy task on November 4, 2008. I know you will make the right decision.
Thank you.
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10 comments:
I couldn't agree more. You are lucky, though, for turning 18 this year before the election. (I don't turn 18 until September 2009, so I'll have to settle for being a student poll worker instead.)
However, I can't resist adding this footnote. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on the Sojourn to the Past trip this past February, and one of the biggest points hammered home was the importance of voting. One of the civil rights leaders we studied (and visited the home and family of) was Vernon Dahmer. As president of his local chapter of the NAACP, he worked to encourage his African American neighbors to vote. He even went on the radio and said that anyone who could not pay their poll tax could come to his grocery store and he would pay it for them. His montra was, "If you don't vote, you don't count." On the night of January 10, 1966, members of the KKK firebombed his house, and he died after rescuing the rest of his family from the house.
Our biggest responsibility as citizens of this democracy is our responsibility to vote. Our democracy should be of the people, by the people, and for the people, not of 60% of the people, by 60% of the people, and for 60% of the people. (60.7% was the voter turnout in 2004.) We have the responsibility to honor the lives of Vernon Dahmer and many others who came before and after him by registering to vote so that the government reflects what we as a people want it to be.
I completely agree! If someone is privileged enough to be able to vote freely and safely, they should definitely take the five minutes to drive down to the post office a few streets away and spend some time voting. Although it seems easy enough, too often people choose to silence themselves and sit on the sidelines watching future unfold.
Also, some people make the excuse that they don't know enough information about the candidates to make a valid decision. I think that's a tad absurd. The candidates are continuously covered on the news at all hours of the day and since the internet is so advanced, taking even ten or fifteen minutes to research the candidates and their policies can help a voter gain some insight to be able to make a good decision about who to support.
I definitely agree with all the points made. However if I could, I'd add that if you are insisting on voting: do the research.
I'm tired of people saying "I'm for Obama" and when asked why, they come up short. He's for "change" but what does that mean? People need to fully understand who they are voting for before they cast their ballot in the next month or so. I really don't want to see another irrationally elected president get power because of our stupid childish conclusions.
And Nelia beat me to the punch.
I agree with all of the above! Considering that many people have had their right to vote taken away or suppressed in the past, I believe that the voting right is an inredibly valuable part of american society and government. I know of plenty of people who are over 18 who have not been politically active. In these cases, people say that they simply don't have time or don't know the issues. It annoys me when these same people are the first to complain about the inadequacies of the government or the president. Being no where close to either exteme of the political spectrum myself, I can understand where people may be uncertain or neutral. I think that it is very important, as Michael said, for people to understand what policies they are supporting. Rather than stubbornly adhering to one side, people should be able to hear out both sides. Most extremely opinionated people out there probably think that their side is "right" and "good." So for those people on the fence, both "right" sides must be taken into consideration in order to take an individual stance on an issue or candidate.
I agree. I think that it is very important that people get more involved and vote. If people do not vote, then change will not happen. People who are too busy can just simply mail in an absentee ballot.
The chance that your vote (especially in california) will matter are millions to one. If everyone else thought that way, then your vote would actually matter and you would vote. As it is, your vote doesn't matter.
People that don't care enough to vote are fine. Those people, who don't care, would have a vote that matters just as much as you, when you obviously care way more. If they don't feel like voting, that's fine it is a free country.
The point is: if they don't care and don't want to vote, LET THEM! It is their choice. The people who don't vote because they don't care obviously don't want something from the government, so how would making them vote make the government reflect what the people want? Maybe that 5 minutes it would take is more valuable to them.
Anonymous: If everyone in this country has that kind of apathetic answer, then our democracy is doomed.
Our country is founded upon the idea that people have the right to govern themselves, and the right to vote is core to ensuring that our democratic government reflects the will of the people. Maybe it doesn't feel like one vote makes that big a difference amongst a nation of hundreds of millions of people, but votes add up, and each vote has the potential to make a major difference.
There are people who don't care about voting in this country. I'm not talking about people whose work situation or citizenship status completely prevents them from voting, I'm talking about people who flat out don't care. And as far as I'm concerned, that means that they flat out don't care about democracy, about their government, and about the way that their lives will be affected by the choice that they chose not to make. And that's up to them, but it's a sorry way to repay the lives and the efforts of thousands who came before us so that we might have the right to vote.
Votes count, and voting is everyone's responsibility.
I definitely agree with this. You are so lucky to be able to vote and make some sort of impact on our nation's future. I wish I was born just a few months earlier... well, maybe not, i like my birthday. But anyway, back on topic...
It definitely is true that our country is strongly based upon each individual's rights to vote. It doesn't even take much time to cast a vote, although some people probably can;t spare any time at all. While one individual's vote may not change the world, a nation of individuals voting for what they believe in definitely will have some impact.
While i would love to be able to vote, I'm not especially critical of those who choose not to do so. Whether it's because of lack of knowledge about politics and the candidate's stances, or if it's merely because they don't care, they are making a choice not to vote. This ability to choose whether or not you will vote is truly special if you consider there are many countries in the world where its' citizens cannot even vote at all. this mere ability to decide not to vote seems, to me, to reflect American's closely held belief of freedom and liberty. Not making a choosing/decision is, after all, still a decision.
If they have no opinion on the subject they shouldn't vote, people should be able to make the free choice to not vote. While I can wish more people cared about bettering society, if someone doesn't care he shouldn't be forced to vote.
Also, if everyone was apathetic, each vote actually cast would be worth a lot more. But that's besides the point. The point is that in our current situation, enough people vote that your vote will not make a difference. Plus, my vote will not count anyway unless I vote for one of the two major candidates (yes showing support for a 3rd party will convince the major parties to incorporate, but 1 vote won't be the line there either). So if I dislike them both, what should I do?
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