Here we are again, about a week from a big election. So, here I am again, encouraging everyone who might read this to vote. It’s taking more effort than usual to write this little plea. I’m seeing a lot of pieces out there lately that are rationalizing people’s decision to forgo voting. They range from the classics, “It’s just one vote, one vote doesn’t matter,” to the cynical, “They’re all the same, so it doesn’t matter who wins,” to the more creative, “No one accurately represents me, I shouldn’t vote for someone who doesn’t represent me.” It’s a bummer.
I’m working through it, though, and writing about it. I don’t have anything groundbreaking or original to say. Voting does matter. The fact that so many people don’t vote, especially young people, is where a good chunk of our problems come from. Most Americans are on the right side of most issues. And I don’t mean 51%. I mean 60%, 70%, even 80% support. The only thing keeping us from having nice things is the fact that less than half of the eligible voters bother voting in most elections.
So, please vote. I’m going to. It’s the only way we have to get what we want.
