Having the right to vote was a hard-won battle. I am old enough to remember the civil rights movement. That any citizen – and especially blacks and women – would entertain the idea of not voting is sickeningly shocking to me.
I get cynicism. But it is a deadly disease for any society, but when it leads to not exercising a right that people – many people – have died to secure, it borders on criminal in my view.
I am disgruntled too and I don’t think the system works. I love the saying that came out of the Occupy Movement: “The system isn’t broken, it’s fixed.”
So making a stand against the fixedness by not voting would be great if we all wanted to move to Montana and live out our lives as self-sufficient, gun-toting farmers but, alas, we’re stuck for now with what we have for a political system. We can change it over time if we have the desire.
But for now the only power we hold is our vote.
Even if you can’t stand any of the incumbents, vote against them by casting your vote for a new person.
Even if you don’t think it will make any difference, go ahead and choose what you believe may be the lesser of two evils. But for God’s sake and the sake of our democracy – Vote.
And if you want to be certain your ballot will be counted and not “spoiled” and not counted, do not vote party line. Do not choose the Elephant or the Donkey or the ICM torch. Choose your candidate, even if it’s only one person. If there is just one who you think you might trust, vote for that one person only, but Vote.
