Why vote? A lot of people ask this, especially with the election coming up tomorrow. Excuses fly as people claim "the lines are too long" or "the government never does anything I want anyway." People who spout these excuses, however, could not be farther from the truth. Voting is a chance to express yourself, to make sure that the government is running as you would want it to. There is nothing more hypocritical than people who criticize the government, claiming that it does not run as they would like, yet they did not vote. In that case, it is no one's fault other than their own that the government is run by the party they oppose. This mindset is especially popular in states where the vote tends to lean more towards one party rather than the other, such as in Texas. Feeling overpowered by conservatives, Democratic Texas often refrain from voting at all, claiming that to vote would be worthless anyway. However, if they would simply all go out to the polls and vote, they may be in for a big surprise. So with election day coming up, do not be afraid to get out there and cast your vote. Nothing is more important than showing your opinion and having a say in who represents the people.
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Great post! I'm all about going out to vote.
Peace n Bike Grease~Sara
It is entirely possible that the reason some are jaded about the voting process is the feeling that "Hey, I live in a state run by the ___party, they win every election, why bother?" A certain level of gerrymandering (redistricting in favor of one party over another)can be expected while one or another party is in power. Texas, under the leadership of Tom DeLay, for example. Or Massachusets, under the Kennedy family.
Or maybe people are feeling what I did for the last twelve years. Some have called me a rabid liberal...this is partially true...but I did not vote in the '94 mid-terms, nor in the 1996 presidential elections, nor in any election since, because I was sick of the mud slinging, the BS, the one-upsmanship...in short, because I believed then, as I do now, that we have a one-party system; two sides of the same corrupt and broken coin. In 2000 and 2004, this belief was reinforced.
So why have I registered to vote in 2006? I am as still jaded and suspicious of our process, of our "erected" leadership. So why bother?
Some would like me to say that I've come to believe it is the benchmark of hypocrisy to speak against a system or process while refusing to participate in that system or process. But that's not true...refusing to vote is a matter of principle, and a statement in itself. The real reason I am voting (and will vote, in most subsequent elections) is this: Though I believe fervently that good will always overcome evil, that right will always defeat wrong, good needs a voice; a loud and raucous cheering section in the nosebleed area of the stadium. Where the real fans sit. Anybody with enough cash can afford the premium seats, sit close to the spectacle, and be dazzled by the pageantry of it all. Those of us who struggle to make ends meet can only sit in the cheap seats...but our view is unobstructed, and we get to see the whole picture.
The white and blue collar middle class built this country. It is ours.
On Tuesday, we take back.
Regards,
CD Sutton II