Voting-Why Bother?

For many people voting is a pain.  It is a wasted effort based on some idealistic and unrealistic perception that we as individuals can impact the world we live in by standing in a line and pulling a lever. Time is better spent doing just about anything or doing nothing at all. On election day these people stay home and take the day off, and just don’t bother to take the time. Well first of all these folk don’t even bother to register to vote even though it is almost as easy as checking a box on their automobile registration form.

The point of this article is to explore what is lost when a person fails to vote.

Everybody Votes

Whether you know it or not, on election day, everybody votes.  The voting that we are aware of takes place in voting booths throughout the region.  This is where concerned citizens exercise their right to make a choice about their lives and to make government accountable to them.   This is a right enshrined in the Constitution and bought and paid for in the blood and sacrifice of our forefathers.  In the Black community, this is a right that was paid for in blood with our people being set upon by dogs and fire hoses, mercilessly beaten even killed.

When you don’t vote you are voting to allow government to ignore your needs, your views and your perspectives. When you don’t vote you leave it to those who do vote to make the decisions on your life for you.  That is in and of itself a decision – a vote.

Understand this – when you don’t vote, you are making a statement that you are unconcerned with the influence government has over you.  If this is the message that you send to government, guess what response government has for you?  If you are unconcerned about your government best believe that government will be unconcerned about you.

Your Vote Does Count

Voting is a chance to be heard, and if you waive that chance, the government won’t hear you. Government will respond to the needs of the people who do vote.  Let me give an example.  Many years ago, I lived in a community that had a bus line going through it.  The bus came within steps of my home and it took me to the subway and that was how I got to and from my job downtown.  The service was practically door to door.  The bus company began to hear complaints about the busses coming into the community that the busses were noisy and unpleasant.  In response they held a hearing where the community had a chance to express their views. I didn’t bother to go, and neither did most of the other bus riders.  Want to know who went?  The people who didn’t like the busses.  Mostly those people were retired and were unconcerned about the convenience of taking the bus to work.  By not going, I and the other riders in the community were not heard.  What happened?  They took the route out of the neighborhood.  As a result, I had to drive myself to the subway and pay for parking.  Who could I blame for that inconvenience?  Nobody but myself.

Voting Involves More Than Electing Politicians

When you vote you are involving yourself in more – much more than just putting politicians into office.  You are setting the policy for you, your family and your community. Let’s look at the various different functions that are impacted by your vote.  First you have to understand what you are voting for.  Most times your vote will involve several levels of government.  If you live in a big city, you are voting for the Mayor and the City Council.  If you live in a small city, you are likely voting for a Mayor, City Council and the County Council and the County Executive.  These people impact your local issues.  Here are some of what these people decide.

Local Elections Affect Local Issues

Just think of all of the power over your life the lives of your children, your parents, friends and neighbors is handed over to your local government when you vote. When you don’t vote, you are walking away from influencing all of these decisions.  And this is just a start. We still have your state-wide government and Federal government.