I recently had a mind-numbing conversation with a young friend (28) who characterized voting as “stupid,” “waste of my time,” and and “don’t care enough.” She then spent the rest of the conversation trashing her family for voting for Romney. I told her if she thinks voting is stupid she has forfeited her right to criticize people’s voting choices.
If there is anything in civic life that I consider sacred, in the truest sense of the word, it is voting. The United States of America remains the great experiment in self-government. For a young person to so callously dismiss this sacred right makes my stomach hurt.
I voted for the first time in 1976. I have never missed a single election. I am such a hard case that I vote in Chicago mayoral primaries.
When my children were little, I used to bring them right into the voting booth with me (we had voting booths back then). I would explain what I was doing and why, and let them mark the boxes. The year Nga was 6, however, the precinct workers not only would not let me bring her into the booth, they would not allow her into the room, and in fact told me she would have to wait “outside.” I subsequently found out that children are in fact allowed into the voting booth with parents, and reported that precinct.
My son voted for the first time in 2004, in Ohio. Since he was living in a Democratic county at the time, he had to wait in line for 6 hours. My daughter’s first vote was in the historic 2008 election, which I very much envy her. I found it very moving to see her standing in the voting line (and yes I did the annoying “my baby’s first vote” thing.)
I am proud to say that my kids vote. Early indoctrination I guess. Seng Lim let his drivers license expire, but that voter registration is active. Nga’s registration got purged for some reason, so she devoted a day to go to the county and cast a grace-period ballot.
One generation back, they’re connected to one of the most repressive regimes on earth. If their grandparents hadn’t left China, they (or whomever it is they would have been), would not have this right. Hundreds of millions of people look on it with envy. They’re dying for it right now in Syria, and striving to hold fast to it in newly freed Libya, Yemen, Egypt, and Tunisia.
The vote is a sacred thing. Use yours today.
Great Post! I, like you, am amazed when people tell me that they do not Vote because it doesn’t matter, their one Vote will not make a difference anyway, How Sad! Just look at the people who have died and are dying, fighting to gain that right for themselves and their countries. VOTE! It Makes a Difference!
I voted! My son is 18 and was thrilled to be able to vote this year. I don’t fault a person who wants to conscientiously abstain if they disagree with the available choices, but the right to vote or not vote is a very serious right and should not be taken lightly.
It’s good to point out that there are many places who do not enjoy the rights we sometimes take for granted.
Why is the voting system so slow in the US? I’ve never had to wait more than ten minutes to vote in the UK. How do working people manage to both vote and get to work – do they have to take a day off to be able to vote?
From the very start, voting in the US has been more about limiting the franchise than about expanding it. From the “white property owning males” only start (thank you England) to the latest punitive voter ID laws, short polling hours (why in the WORLD do they close at 7, when people who work 9-5 often cannot get there in time), to the fact that voting happens on a weekday, we are very very stingy with the vote. The recent trend toward early voting, mail-in ballots and liberal absentee voting rules are an excellent trend toward expanding the franchise. Personally, I like Australia’s system, where voting is a legal requirement.
Not that I have an opinion on it or anything. ;)