Why We Should Vote
By Daniel Ponder
Publisher’s note: While our articles are not normally written from a first person perspective, we felt like Daniel’s firsthand knowledge
of this important topic was valuable.
Over the last year, I had the unique opportunity to volunteer my time as a deputy voter registrar which allowed me to witness several inaccuracies and misconceptions regarding our voting process. While having conversations with a variety of groups of people, I also discovered that many citizens do not vote and have not voted in many years. This prompted me to think deeply about our rights as an American citizen in the realm of having the privilege to vote.
One of the main conclusions I derived from thinking about this is that our day-to-day lives are affected by the outcome of votes whether we realize or not. The singular vote is indeed powerful, solely because this may be your only opportunity to express your opinion to the people in power ultimately making day-to-day decisions. Their decisions become the laws and regulations we have to abide by.
In other words, do you want your taxes to be raised to go to a new city park? Study the candidates to find out which ones are for it and which ones will vote against it. Do you want your national government involved in every detail of your daily life? Again, study the candidates that lean toward that position. The way they lead will become the way the country is run.
Chances are you will never have an opportunity to meet and influence your state and national elected officials on a personal level, so understanding their platforms is valuable in casting your vote so that your vote reflects the lifestyle you want to lead. In our local area, the chances are pretty good that you will have several opportunities to meet your local elected officials, and can voice your opinions to them; however, you must vote to assure that the ones who will listen to your opinion are actually in office.
This country was founded on the principle of individual rights and freedoms. That includes and even demands taking the responsibility to vote on matters large and small. Wars have been fought, families have been divided, and lives have been lost to protect and defend this precious freedom. The privilege to vote is not to be taken lightly as those who fought for us did not take their responsibility lightly.
If you are already registered to vote, you’re one step ahead. Encourage your friends and family to vote. The deadline is October the 5th. Every vote truly matters, and the power of this country is in the hands of great individuals like you.