Our nation went to the polls two weeks ago to cast its votes in America’s midterm elections. I was at school all day, but was able to rush home and cast my ballot, making it to the polling place 15 minutes before it closed.
Although I was not excited about the candidates, and despite the fact that I am disgruntled with both of our major political parties, I still made it a point to vote.
The next day I asked several students for whom they had voted. Most told me they had not voted at all. There were several reasons; some valid, some not. The excuse is not the point, it is that so many did not vote. Why are we as a nation apathetic when it comes to voting?
Politics are, well, politics and the entire process is pretty disheartening. Yet, we must realize that the process is the way it is because the American electorate is uneducated about major issues and typically tries to set records for low turnout for every election in recent memory. The political system can be changed. Believe it or not, we do have the power.
Now do not snicker. Look at what happened in Minnesota. The fact that Jesse Ventura was elected governor of the “Land O’ Lakes” is a great testament to the beauty of our democratic system. I doubt that I would have voted for him had I the opportunity, but the fact that a former professional wrestler (who has two master’s degrees, was a former Navy Seal and the mayor of a small town in Minnesota) can beat a Humphrey is proof that almost anyone in our society can be elected when people vote.
Need more reason to believe voting makes a difference? Look at the 1992 Presidential Election. Every vote cast for Ross Perot was a vote that kept George Bush from winning re-election. (But watch out. George Jr. shall restore his family’s luster in two years.)
Need more proof? Newt Gingrich, who four years ago was considered a presidential candidate, just resigned as Speaker of the House proves that Americans made a difference with their votes. Gingrich’s quitting is a reflection that the American public is sick of scandal, and the Republican Party offered little reason to vote for them as much as it gave reason to vote against Clinton and the Democrats. It did not work; Republicans are pissed off and Newt is calling U-Haul as people’s eyes embrace this print. So yes, one’s vote can mean something.
If those examples are not convincing, I personally make it a point to vote because I look at history, which tells me that several people have died throughout our country’s existence to give me that right. It is a slap in the face to those who have had it more difficult than we will ever have it, to not pay homage to their sacrifice and take the time to vote.
Do not assume that this diatribe is referring only to civil rights leaders; it goes much further. All veterans who have fought and died in wars throughout our history have died with the intention of preserving democracy. Have all our wars been about that preservation of democracy? No (reference: the oil… I mean the Gulf War). However, it cannot be denied that people, whom I will never know, have made a sacrifice all in the name of democracy, so that I might vote.
I do not intend to come across as preachy. I hope to inspire (or piss off enough) people to vote. We are all busy. However, if that was always a valid excuse for not doing what we need to do in life, I guess I would have never legally been able to vote, or for that matter, attend school to learn how to write this guilt trip diatribe in the first place.
Simon W. Bouie, a senior broadcasting major, is a staff writer for the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at bouies@ulv.edu.
