Politics & Voting

It's your right and your responsibility.

It is currently July 2007. Just over sixteen months before a new President is elected for the United States of America. Will you vote? I grew up in a family where my parents never really voted. The only time I remember them voting was for Ross Perot back in 1992. What I kept hearing while I was growing up was that their votes didn't really matter and that whomever was elected would do their own thing, no matter what they had promised in their campaign speeches. Growing up with this disillusioned mind-set, I did not vote in the 1996 election, even though I was eighteen years old and able to vote. It wasn't until I started college and realized the importance of voting, whether you vote for the losing candidate or for the winner.

The next election was the 2000 Presidential election between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush. Can I say that this election was FUBAR? First it showed that Al Gore was leading and was possibly the winner. Then around 2:30AM of the following morning, Al Gore had called Bush to concede the election, and then call an hour later to retract his concession. I believe everyone was confused as to what was going on and what has happening with our election process.

I remember going to sleep, thinking Al Gore had won, to be woken up later to hear that Al Gore had conceded to Bush. But then to wake up the next morning and find out that we didn't have a 43rd President? You can imagine how I felt, and you probably felt the same way. Eventually, it was decided that even though Al Gore had the majority of popular votes, George W. Bush had won the majority of the electoral college votes.

So how does our vote, our each and every vote, count? Each person who votes is giving their opinion and their voice to the direction they want their city/county/state/country to go. If you do not vote, you have no voice, other than to say that you don't care. Many people have suffered to give us our rights to vote, and for us to not appreciate their sacrifices is to belittle their efforts.

The 15th Amendment gave US citizens the right to vote and not to be denied based on their race, color or servitude.
The 19th Amendment gave US citizens the right to vote and not be denied based on their sex.
The 24th Amendment gave US citizens the right to vote in any election for the President, Vice President, Senators or Representatives of Congress and not to be denied due to failure to pay any poll tax or other taxes.
The 26th Amendment gave US citizens the right to vote to those who are 18 years old or older.

The 2004 Presidential election had the highest turnout ever with over 120 million votes. 15 million more voters turned out than in the 2000 election. President Bush won over Senator John Kerry by a margin of 51% popular votes. In this election, and in the 2000 election EVERY vote counted.

Some people say that their vote does not count but how do you know? If you and everyone did not vote for a candidate thinking that it did not matter, you are letting the other candidate win. You are quitting the race before it had ended or even started, for that matter. Some people think that the electoral college is all that matters, but you have to realize that for the most part, the electoral votes are cast based on the states majority votes for a candidate.

Yes, our election system is not perfect but it is much better than what other countries have. We should be grateful that we have a choice and a voice where others have none. So again, each vote does count. You count. Each and every one of us.