Voting: a right Generation Y seems to have left behind. Perhaps it’s from going day-to-day face-down, buried in computer monitors, iPods, or cell phones. Is it technology that has made the privilege unappealing?
Whatever the reason, the general election is less than a month away and regardless of where one may stand politically, a new margin may govern. Making a conscious vote on candidates and propositions can be a job in itself, but heading to the polls Nov. 7 is worth the effort.
According to the 2004 census, during the last presidential election, less than half of those between the ages of 18 to 24 voted, while 72 percent of those 55 and older voted. What are young adults doing? People twice our age, with possibly half of our agility and capability were able to make it to the polls.
An echoed excuse seems to be people do not know enough. Therefore, the choice of not voting to avoid making an uneducated decision on a candidate is an uneducated decision in itself. Though, a very valid and understandable reason, it is still a weak excuse.
It’s hard to make this a cry to vote for governor, state secretary, city council or any other position. For some, the jobs and influences of those positions seem farfetched to having a direct effect on our lives. Therefore, people don’t know or care to learn who these politicians are. Depending on the argument made, their may be validity in that opinion. But there is no validity in paying taxes and living in a country that was built on such privileges, when the only people actively exercising the right to vote are the aging generations that are going to leave us behind in a land that is becoming more and more politically unruly and unbalanced.
If it’s the choice in candidates that de-motivates, then at least vote on the initiatives, measures, propositions, and schemes that directly affect the city, county, state and, country we live in. Make the time to read the rebuttal and argument on the measures, read them twice, talk to a random person on the bus about it, form an opinion, and flex it.
The less we vote, the less manipulating Bush and friends have to do to the ballots when it comes time to count them.
Register. Read the Sample Ballot and Voter Informational Pamphlet that’s mailed out about a month prior to the voting date. And VOTE: polls open at 7a.m. and close at 8p.m.