Silence Is Not Golden

By now you're likely sick of all the ads, the media coverage and the water cooler talk at the office. The election may still be more than five weeks off, but at this point most voters are feeling campaign fatigue.  Chances are pretty good you have made your mind up on the Presidency one way or the other. Maybe you've told yourself you're not thrilled with the options you have for that office or that you've become frustrated with the entire political game and you aren't sure that any of them have your best interests at heart.  These scenarios are all reasonable and understandable points of view. Guess what? You still need to get off your ass and go vote.

I know. You're wondering how I have come to the conclusion that I get to tell you what to do, right?  I don't get to "tell you", but I get to remind you that voting is not just your right, but your responsibility. You can take the coward's way out and say that not voting is as much of a political statement as voting and volunteering and working for a candidate or cause. That philosophy is partially true, because you are making a choice. But it is not a choice based on the good of the government that represents you. It's a choice based on what makes you feel good by doing nothing. Doing nothing in this sense muddles and dilutes the process of democracy.

Not voting is a defiant act that may have the best of intentions behind it, but voting is not a political act. It is a patriotic and sacred endeavor. Like it or not, this is how we have chosen to administer justice and policy in our republic for more nearly two and a half centuries. It is an imperfect system; a system which can be maddening and at times even callous, but most of the time it works. It usually works really well, actually.

Sadly, much of the time when the democratic process does fail, is because we the electorate are uninvolved. This simple lesson that you probably learned in high school civics is just as true today as it was then. No Vote = No Voice.

Before you get all high and mighty and tell me what an ass bag I am, remember that I am not telling you that you have to vote. I am reminding you that you should. You should vote because what gets decided on Nov. 6th and in virtually every election that's occurred since you turned 18, affects your life directly, no matter how slightly. The significance of the decisions we make in the polling booth are almost always of more value than the amount of time it took you to cast a ballot.

For much of our history, large groups of our citizens were denied the right to vote in this country. From minorities and women to the descendants of those who were here before European explorers arrived. For the first several elections in our nation you were required to be a white, male landowner to cast a ballot. The conditions for who is allowed to vote have changed slowly and painfully throughout the last two centuries, many times at the cost of lives. Now, for the most part, you need be 18 years of age and a legal resident to participate in this great endeavor.

The freedom which we are so frequently prideful of in our land is most brightly illuminated in our voting process. It is a freedom which comes with a body count and bloody past. It is not to be trifled with and it is not to be considered lightly. It is not designed to be a playground for base political games. If we choose to let it become something less than a great freedom and a day of celebration for our right to vote, that would be a damn shame.

So, you may choose to not vote on Nov. 6th. That is your solemn right and no one can make you go do it. Just remember that your are an integral part of this process and your voice will have an affect on our future, whether you choose to use it or not.