Every Vote Counts

I voted Tuesday.  I know that in the eyes of many, this isn't a very important thing and really isn't a big deal.  But to me, it's a huge thing and very important.  I know what many say, "My vote doesn't really count."  I disagree with that.  Every vote counts.  I believe we have grown very complacent.  None of us know what it's like to have no voice.  None of you reading these words, unless you come from a repressed foreign country, have ever experienced a government in which you have no say.  I'm not saying our government is perfect or that the will of the people is always done.  You have only to look at the passage of the ACA (Obamacare) to see that the people are sometimes ignored.  However, by and large, voters are represented by our elected officials.

What really struck me on Tuesday, was the low voter turn out.  As a woman, I am keenly aware of the importance of voting.  We were not granted the right to have a say in our own government until 1920!  A full FIFTY years after black men were given the right to vote!  Yet, I can't tell you how many woman have said to me, "Well, I'm not really into politics.  I just vote how my husband tells me to vote."  That statement is akin to nails on a chalkboard for me.  Surely women can't believe themselves so out of touch with current affairs that they need to look to their husband to tell them what to do? 

Honestly, anyone who makes the comment that they are not "into politics" just makes me want to scream.  How can anyone not pay attention to what is going on around them?  How can anyone not take an active interest in what is going on in Washington?  It affects us whether we like it or not.  Better to pay attention to who makes what decisions in an effort to better enable yourself to make informed decisions rather than bury your head in the sand and hope something goes right.

I often think that if more people took an active interest in politics and what politicians were really doing, things would be different.  And when I say "active interest", I don't mean sitting about armchair quarterbacking.  I mean knowing what is going on.  Knowing why it is happening.  Understanding what it means for this country now and down the road.  And exercising your right to vote. 

Of all the privileges we enjoy, voting is one of the most important.  I simply do not understand why so few people exercise that right.  I also do not understand why so many people vote for whomever they are told to vote for by a parent, spouse, etc.

I hope in the upcoming election voter turn out is better.  Yes, it will be better than in this past mid-term election simply because it is a presidential election.  However, it is my hope that turn out will be up even over the last presidential election.  People simply must become more active for the good of the country.