Vote
On Tuesday the American public will have to cast their votes in Mid-term elections. I, like many people, am very underwhelmed, tired, and over our elected officials, their petty bickering, and their ability to get paid when they are doing their jobs.
However
We MUST take the time to cast our votes-even if it’s to voice displeasure. The moment we give in to the urge to not cast our ballots, we enable people to take our voices away.
If You’re Happy
Vote
If You’re Unhappy
Vote
No one will know or care about how you feel if you don’t participate in the process. And, I don’t want to hear “By not participating I’m communicating my discontent.” That’s bull.
As A Person Of Color I Am Very Aware of My Responsibility To Vote
This past weekend I went to Central Illinois to visit my Grandmother. She is old enough to experience the fight for Civil Rights. She remembers “Separate but Equal” and being treated as a second class citizen. I spent time looking at family pictures and seeing the people that I come from. They had hard lives and went through things that I can’t even imagine-because of their race.
I have had a very fortunate and blessed life. I’ve been told that anything and everything is possible for me to achieve. And even though I have debt, I also have the tools to pay the debt off. I have access to a life that my older relatives couldn’t even imagine.
So, I vote every single election because as crappy as the current Congress is, things change. We change, and I have to believe that the past 20 years of non-communication in Congress will eventually end because people leave their jobs, get voted out, and eventually we will get tired of the status quo. Fighting takes a lot of energy.
Vote For Yourself, Mickey Mouse, or Morpheous
Psst-You Don’t HAVE To Vote Democrat or Republican
But, if you don’t vote…then, I don’t want to hear your bitching because if you can’t mail in an early ballot, or take time to stop by the polls (you’re legally allowed to miss work to vote-check your county) then you’re too basic for me to deal with (on this issue).
*Google Images Picture*
I Keep A Voting File!
Yes, I’m a little paranoid and you should be too! I keep a file of all voting communications from my county. I make sure to keep everything updated, and will follow up on anything that seems strange (haven’t had to yet). I always take a passport as proof of identification and vote early because that option is open to me. You should do this too if that option is open to you as well.
Politics of I.D.s
The whole i.d. issue is bull. But, if you don’t vote you get policies like these. Make sure to always have an up to date identification card/driver’s license/or passport. Help the elderly people in your life get a legit i.d. WELL BEFORE an election. I know that my Grandma currently has a driver’s license. If she didn’t, I would fly out to her city and work with her to get a new i.d.
After Election Day
Act with a sense of decorum and mutual respect (sadly lacking in Congress). Your side might “lose” or “win.” The thing is regardless of that both sides have to work together. So, everyone needs to shut it and get their work done. So, now you know what I think about voting. Get it done and then move on.
Something to Lighten The Mood
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I need to sign up for absentee ballots each election because I never know where I’m going to be. I voted in 2012, but I’ve moved states since then.
Moving provides its own set of problems! And I need to explore how Absentee ballots work. Just in case I move to a foreign country during an election cycle.
As a US permanent resident, I don’t have the right to vote. But if I did, I would definitely register my opinion through voting. When I lived in Montreal, the first year I become old enough to vote was the same year Quebec held a referendum on wanting to separate from Canada. I made sure as hell to vote and it’s a good thing too. That decision was so close, by less than 1%, that it made me realize just how important each and every vote was that night. The country’s fate was in the balance. That experience sealed the voting duty for me moving forward.
In Colorado the decision is about + or – 1% or 2% so it makes a difference! I just don’t get how people can make time for: Zumba, happy hour, or hiking, but can’t make time for voting. I will continue to vote and do believe that it makes a difference.
I am still new tot his whole voting thing. I voted in the last election after waiting two hours in a dingy parking lot. It did feel good to vote though. It made me feel like I was doing something.
Why did you have to wait in a parking lot? I hope you the option to vote early next time. It’s great! I voted last week so I’ve tuned the rest of the election out. Whatever happens, happens.
I’m voting even though I am essentially voting for the lesser of two evils. =/
I voted last week and I feel your pain!
I voted. It was super late (I always vote on election day), but thankfully the key race I cared about – governor and senator were too close to call by 7 pm (yes I closed down the polling place) so I still “feel” like my vote counted. hehehe I was a sucker back in 2000. Back when we had hanging chads. I didn’t update my information on time when I moved and I hated that. Not voting sucks. Amazing that only 40% of eligible voters came out. We have another local election in Feb. Talk about a miserable weather time for elections. LOL.
WoW Toni! We had several races here that were too close to call! Freaking hanging chads. Only Florida!! More and more the proof is out there that your vote counts. When races are being decided by 1,000 votes and several hundred thousand people vote in state that’s incredible. February is a terrible time to vote-I’m hoping you can vote early.Love that you closed the place down 🙂
I voted but actually forgot to check the result, so I didn’t know Hickenlooper won until a few days after the election. I don’t think I’ve been excited about and election since Bill Clinton won, but too many people have fought and died so we could vote. It would be a disservice not to.
It’s frustrating because my dissatisfaction with our elected leaders (on both sides of the aisle from both parties) are so deeply entrenched in their way of thinking that they can’t HEAR one another. All of us work with people that we don’t like or might disagree with-you find the middle ground and make it work. I am sick of paying for mediocrity.