As the first Tuesday of November comes ever closer, the burden of duty bears down upon responsible American citizens. Once again, all generations are being called to the front lines of democracy to fulfill their duty as voters.
It’s difficult to avoid cynicism when we discuss voting. It is the easiest and the most effective way to evoke change, and still, there is no lack of “What difference does it make?” being heard from Generation Y. Though we do an awful lot of talking, I see little action behind our rhetoric. The sociological implications aside, the bottom line remains: voting is the easiest and the most effective way to make your voice heard. Allow me to make a pitch to my generation to cast aside your empty rhetoric and cynicism for one day — November 4, 2008 — and be a part of shaping the inevitable change to come.
When you vote, you’re not just voting for a president, least of all for one person to resolve all of the challenges this country faces. Achieving what you want from America is going to start at home, in your community. Everyone’s community is affected by a series of ballot measures that may or may not be a good idea — but it’s up to you to decide that, and those votes do actually count (I’ll save my rant on the electoral college for another day). Californians will be voting on a number of hot button issues about which my generation likes to be particularly vocal — namely, energy consumption, abortion, and same-sex marriage. If you don’t think any of these issues affects you, you are misguided. If you don’t think you can have an effective opinion about these things, you are mistaken. You are being given the opportunity to decide how your tax money is spent, what rights individuals have and don’t have. You don’t have to run for office to change things, or to maintain them, for that matter. You just need to vote.
So why is it that so many people don’t vote? Is it the cynicism that has pervaded this society? Is it apathy? Is it laziness? In conversations with friends and strangers, everyone swears they are going to vote this year — but isn’t that what my generation said four years ago? I think it’s time we stopped focusing on the negative aspects of voting — that it doesn’t matter, that it won’t count, that the powers that be are going to do what they are going to do regardless of what I, as a voter, want them to do. As the election nears, the candidates get nastier, the smear campaigns get more ridiculous, and the result is that the average voter tunes it all out in frustration. Let’s make a conscious choice to focus on the positive effects of voting.
Do yourself, your community, and your country a favor: ignore the blatantly biased news, the self-serving op-eds, the fear-inducing headlines. Get your information directly from the source. Read the actual language for the propositions (available personalized for your district here). Don’t rely on someone else to interpret them for you; figure it out for yourself, see if you agree or disagree with it, and vote accordingly.
Especially in this time of extreme economic chaos, educating yourself on the issues is the most important thing you can do for yourself; voting is the most important thing you can do as an American citizen. This election, I hope my generation serves proudly on the front lines of democracy.
