Monday, November 5, 2012

Casting My First Ballot

I recently got talked into being interviewed for a local newspaper's piece on first-time voters. It didn't take long to realize that I was the only one in the piece who was 23 years old. That's right; do the math. I was 19 during the last presidential election. So why is this my first time voting?

Brace yourselves. I'm about to utter the words that most political or faux-political people hate to hear: I CHOSE to not vote.

That's right. I was a conscientious objector in the 2008 presidential election. I did not think either man was a good fit for the job, so I chose to not support either of them with my vote. After all, if you vote for the lesser of two evils, you're still voting for an evil, right? Also, I may have gone to a small school in the middle of nowhere, but I did have to take a class in American government to graduate from high school. Unlike some, I still remember that the president is not chosen by popular vote. We have this thing called the electoral college that chooses the president of the United States. It has even happened in history that the winner of the popular vote did not win the electoral college vote. My one vote would not make or break the election. Those two reasons were enough for me to abstain from voting in 2008.

I've had many people tell me that I should vote simply because if I didn't vote I would lose my right to complain. Newsflash: That's the wrong reason to vote. One does not complete a civic duty just so one can wail and moan about the injustices wrought by the leaders that one may or may not have helped to bring to power. That's kind of like saying the only reason one would eat a meal in a restaurant is so that just in case the tables end up dirty, one can join in on the bellyaching with the other patrons. I do believe the pop culture phrase for that is "You're doing it wrong..."

There was a slight flaw to my plan, and that is simply this: In a world where proof matters, I had no proof that I had even considered the candidates. So this year, I will be casting a ballot. Did my opinion on the candidates change? Nope. I have avidly researched all of the candidates on the ballot and cannot really agree completely with any of them. The ones that I agree most closely with on some things have stances in other issues with which I disagree vehemently. There is no way to be truly represented by any of them.

So why cast a ballot if I'm not voting for any of the candidates on the ballot? I received a very good answer from a friend of mine who actually took the time to study political science in college (hindsight is indeed 20/20).

My vote may not have the power to sway the election, but it does have intrinsic value. It also serves to create a public record of my participation in the process established by our forefathers to rule this country. As the main flaw in my plan in 2008 was a lack of evidence, I decided that having a public record of my intent was much more powerful than the simple lack of a record that could be mistakenly attributed to apathy or laziness.

So I'll be at the precinct tomorrow morning bright and early to cast my first ballot. I'm not particularly excited about it. The thought occurred to me that I could just "accidentally" sleep late. Oh darn. But I do see the significance in officially recording my opinion now.

How do you feel about the voting process in America? Have you ever just not voted? Have you ever written in a candidate? I'd love to hear from you!

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