WHY VOTE?
by Ted Miller
(originally published November 2016 in Tumbleweird)
Why should I vote if my vote
doesn’t count?
Because it does. Your vote matters. And contrary to what you may hear, it gets
counted and it makes a difference. Local
and state elections have more of an impact on your life than who sits in the
oval office.
So you wanted someone other than
Hillary? Fine, but the Democratic Party
process put her on the ticket. Can’t
stand The Donald? Same deal, the
Republican Party process made him the nominee.
Think the process is flawed and biased?
Work within your political party to change the process. The party process won’t change if everyone
just stays home complaining.
And VOTE. Vote your conscience, but vote. Don’t cast a protest vote, cast an informed
vote. Who best aligns with your values
and principles? Who is best prepared to
lead our nation forward? Do some
objective research. Don’t blindly
swallow the echo chamber memes of confirmation bias you see on your Facebook
feed. Look up differing opinions. Read the recommendations of major newspapers
and people you trust. Read the party
platforms. Go to the candidates’
websites and read their policy positions and plans. There are more than two presidential candidates
on your ballot. And if you really can’t
bring yourself to vote for a presidential candidate, don’t color in one of
those boxes. But VOTE for the other
offices and initiatives on your ballot.
There’s a lot more on the ballot than the presidential election, so
don’t let the divisiveness over Trump vs. Clinton keep you from voting.
The presidential election isn’t the
one that will affect you the most in your day-to-day life. Local and state elections are even more
important and they tend to get the least amount of voter participation. Do you know who your state legislators
are? Do you agree with them? Are you happy with funding for public
education in the state? Are you happy
with your city council? Were you happy
when the voters rejected funding an aquatic center and a performing arts
center? When your city council decided
not to support a public market, did that represent your views? Get involved and let your voice be
heard! Go to local government meetings,
write letters to the editor, attend school board meetings, and use your ballot
to put the people who best represent you into office.
There are six initiatives on the
ballot this year. Have you studied them
to understand them? Don’t just read the
title and assume you know what the initiative is about. Read the voter’s guide. Who was behind getting the initiative on the
ballot? What are their motives? Consider the arguments for and against. Be an informed voter.
The last thing you should use to
make a decision are campaign television ads.
There is no requirement for “truth in advertising” there. Political ads are designed to elicit an
emotional response and they will twist and shade the truth. There is someone behind those ads that wants
something, and it probably isn’t something for you. Caveat emptor.
Everyone
who is eligible to do so should vote. Voting
is a right guaranteed by the constitution that you should not abdicate
lightly. Don’t throw it away by sitting
out the election in protest or by marking your ballot without some level of
research and understanding.
Statistics show that voter turnout
is overwhelmingly higher for older, more affluent whites than any other
demographic. In fact, young voters
earning less than $50,000 per year turn out to vote at only half the rate of
their older white counterparts. And yet
the younger demographic is proportionately more adversely affected by
regressive policy and spending that tends to favor the wealthy and big
business. Help change that
statistic. Get out and vote.
Exercise
your voice of democracy. Think about
your future and about the future of the next generation. What are your values? Whether you think of yourself as progressive
or conservative, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Socialist, you have a
say in this country. As long as the
constitution stands, you have a voice in our democracy. Use it.
For when the majority chooses to opt out of the process, the
self-interests and powerful few get all the influence. And all too often they aren’t looking out for
you.
Vote. Because it counts.
