I am among the many Americans who did not vote in our elections at one time. I believe I was wrong not to do so, and I will attempt to convince you current non-voters to change your mind.
When I was quite a bit younger and before I knew much history, I had little understanding about the long struggle for the right to vote and the democracy of which it is a key part. Most of humanity for most of our history has been governed by narrow cliques of thieving oligarchs or autocratic royals, many of whom relied on violence and terror to retain power.
At the start of the democratic era, it took great courage to stand against the powers that be. But many thousands of people did so anyway, even realizing that they might well pay with their lives to resist. They sacrificed their own lives and welfare so that the rest of us could live in a democratic society.
So I argue that we owe a debt to those who struggled on our behalf. We have a duty to them to vote, and to do so intelligently as best we are able. It is easy to forget that women and minorities were excluded from voting in the United States for long periods of time and had to struggle mightily for the voting franchise. Some of them paid with their lives. By voting, we can show respect for their sacrifices.
Another argument against voting is that our votes do not count for much. But there are many state and local offices, as well as school, park, health, safety and other local levies, for which our votes can matter a great deal.
We also hear it said that politicians in general are corrupt and “all the same.” But they are not all like that. It is your job as a voter to do some research and support the best of them. If you do not vote, you enable the bad guys.
To be fair, there are also real barriers to voting, including onerous registration procedures and long lines.
If your vote did not matter, they would not work to keep you away from the polls. With freedom comes responsibilities. Voting is one of them.
Arnold ‘Skip’ Oliver, Ph.D., writes for PeaceVoice.
