The Importance of Voting
I know that too many celebrities have populated your TV, computer, or phone screens saying that it’s essential to vote. Their message is well-meaning and altruistic, but they don’t tell you why you should vote. That is what I argue for today. Your vote is your voice. If you can vote, you most definitely should.
Let me clarify: I’m not just talking about the looming presidential election. That is important to vote in, but I mean voting in all elections. Whether that be at a state level, a federal level, or even just a vote in your town, it is important that you participate. Don’t complain about the way an election turned out if you did not try to make a change and stayed at home rather than casting a vote.
If you dislike paying excessive taxes, then vote for someone who promises to tax less. If you want to see an increase in environmental awareness, vote for someone who promises to work against global warming. If you find that, socially, you agree with all of a candidate’s ideals, vote for them.
Why do I say this? Because no one will know what you think, or what the public thinks, if no one votes. If every single person listened to those who say “voting does not count”, the country would be thrown in disarray. There would no representatives because there would be no voices to represent.
Yes, we may not vote directly for the presidential candidate in the upcoming election, but our votes nevertheless count. The popular vote is thought to be a measure of the validity of an election - how much can we trust a candidate who doesn’t even garner the votes of half the nation? Yes, we have had instances where the electoral vote is not the same as the popular vote, but at a great cost. In 2000, when Al Gore and George Bush had a highly contested election and Bush went on to win, he was painted as a villain, a president undeserving of his nation’s support. And now, with the 2016 results? People are protesting in the streets, calling Hillary the people’s candidate. Regardless of if this statement is true or not, the popular vote is clearly important. Your vote is an important part of that.
What I’m saying next may sound overused, but it’s true. People have fought for generations for you to be able to vote, and you need to use that vote. It doesn’t seem like your voice matters when a bill you made sure to vote against gets passed, but it is. Each time you vote, you are making a difference, no matter how small. It’s why women like Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton dedicated their entire lives to making sure women had the vote. It’s why your ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War. Taxation without representation was one of their battle cries. Would you truly dismiss a right our forefathers fought tooth and nail for?
It sounds exaggerated. It sounds like your vote means nothing. I know it does. I know it can be maddening to seem like you don’t have a say in this country. But I promise you that you do. Yes, sometimes, your vote may not change the course of an election, or the passing of a bill. But if everyone thought that way, nothing would be done. Working together, we can change the nation - if only we remember to just vote.
