Ahhh, election season.
The time of year when the leaves turn, the smell of wood burning fires fills the air, and our "respectable" politicians make schoolyard bullying seem like playful teasing.
It's enough to make any sane American despondent, disgusted, and disenfranchised - and you see that's kind of the point.
"They" don't want you to vote.
"They" want you to feel like none of it makes any difference.
"They" know that you're too busy living your own life to pay any more attention than 30 seconds during Survivor to the politics of our country.
But "They" have to be wrong.
I know, just like the leaves, the fires, and the prep for the holiday season, most of the attention is fleeting. Eventually the leaves are raked up or covered with the first snowfall, the fires move inside, and the holidays pass by. But the decisions you make, or choose NOT to make, on election day follow us forever.
It's easy to spout the platitudes like "If you don't vote, you can't complain" but it's not those who would actually listen to that statement that need to be reached. The disenfranchised, disgusted voter is not going to be moved by your personal feeling of civic pride in 7 words. You need to pass along why you are so passionate about your vote.
So here's mine:
I choose to vote because it's the loudest my voice can get. I don't buy into the whole "if you don't vote, you can't complain" because you CAN complain. You can write letters to the editor, post your opinions on blogs, call your Senators or Congressman and complain. But your voice is never louder than on the first Tuesday in November. That's the day you can stand up and say to your fellow citizens "This is the person who I feel will best represent me and my district, state, or country to my fellow man."
That's a pretty powerful statement to make. To stand up, point to one person and tell the rest of the world that THIS is who I am most like, who believes in (most) of the same things I do, and speaks on my behalf while I'm running the kids to soccer practice, working on that presentation, or grocery shopping, or just trying to get through just one more day.
I choose to vote because I'm willing to sacrifice my personal interests for the greater good. That's right, I'll vote AGAINST myself if I feel that it's better for my community as a whole. It can be as small as a tax levy that will strain my wallet, or for a candidate that while I may personally despise has a plan that will help move my community forward.
And as much as I'm willing to sacrifice my personal interest for the greater good, I do so because I truly believe in my heart that Today, Election Day, is the one day that truly makes me... makes US... American Citizens. To not vote would be to waste everything that was done for me before I was even here. The sacrifices of our soldiers, the hardships of growing pains and depressions of the past, all led to this moment.
This one perfect moment where I get to take control of our country's future and make my voice heard.
To not vote would shine a light on everything that I complain about, only this time I allowed it to happen because I was too despondent, disgusted, and disenfranchised to care any more.
And I can't let them do that to the country I love.
