On Voting

            Voting is one of the simplest forms of activism. It encompasses a wide rage of goals from political, environment, economical, and social topics. As American citizens it is one of the most basic rights and also considered one of the simplest civic duties. So, why is voter turnout for elections consistently low election after election? The answer is simple; most people don’t believe their voice, or their vote, really matters.

            Ok, I’ll admit, having a plurality “first-past-the-post” electoral system with a very complex electoral college is not exactly conducive for counting every single vote. However, that does not diminish the value of the vote. Voting, while numerically and statistically may at times seem insignificant, holds a deeper message and a much more important meaning: power. Voting, voter turnout, and election result can and often do send a very powerful message to government about the political legitimacy of the government and the opinion and cultural of the populous.
           Looking at the results from the most recent midterm election in November, 2010 is evidence of this. When the government acts against the will of the people, the people respond by voting them out of office. Sure, maybe your individual vote didn’t exactly change the entire political system but marking a box on a ballot certainly speaks of your power to keep the government in line, especially when collectively the votes of the people reflect a general dissatisfaction with governmental action.
          Some studies suggest voter turnout remains low because the opinion of the government is also on the decline. If political legitimacy, that is the extent to which the populous views the government as a legitimate and efficient mechanism, is low why would anyone want to vote? Why would anyone want to participate in a process they believe to be illegitimate?

           An article from Fox News puts it eloquently. Here is an excerpt from that article:
"Why vote? Because in America, that is the way we change things. That is the way we reform the system. That is the way we guard against the threats to our liberties and exercise our responsibilities. That is the way that we keep America free. Candidates come and candidates go. Elections are won and lost. Sometimes we elect crooks and nobodies and, every once in while, a statesman who strides across the Congress or, from the Oval Office  across the world like a colossus, showing the world what it means to be a free people and, more importantly, why freedom matters. And, for the same reason, it matters that you vote. It is your voice – and the only person who can silence your voice is you. So applaud, complain, march, protest, petition – these are your rights but, without your vote, they are meaningless actions, backed up by nothing."
          From: "Why Vote?" by Peter Roff. Published November 2, 2010 by FoxNews.com
          Source: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/11/02/peter-roff-vote-change-reform-candidates-elections-congress-oval-office-george/

         Voting is an important part of the political process and essential to political and social activism. As the article above notes, voting is how we change things. Feeling or believing that the political process and political system is illegitimate is not a reason to note vote; it is a reason to vote! As a citizen of this country you have a right to change the system if you do not believe in it anymore. The founding fathers and framers of the U.S. Constitution were very clear about that. They sought to set up a system that could be changed.
        I'll finish this post with a quote from the Declaration of Independence, for it sums up not only the reason to be involved in activism, but the importance of voting

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Not registered to vote? Get started! Click here!