“I’m totally down with insurrection in the street. I’ve had a great time with that over the years. Insurrection in the voting booth is the other part of the equation.” – quote by Jello Biafra
Our children always come with us to vote. We feel that it is our responsibility to show them democracy in action. We are lucky that our small polling station offers up stickers and candy on the way out. It is a nice “reward” for a civic duty and it gives our kids something to look forward to when heading to vote. We hope our children will always be excited and informed about voting.
Tip: If you don’t vote, we feel that you have little right to complain about the state of our Country.
We find it terribly alarming that so many adults seem disinterested in politics and debate with themselves over whether or not it is worthwhile to vote. It makes us angry that someone would take a feeling of helplessness and use it as an excuse for inaction, especially when the way to begin to take action is so simple. And we are equally exasperated by people that find politics annoying and that actively choose to ignore anything political.
We know that politics can be incredibly overwhelming and frustrating. In many ways, political reporting encourages disenfranchisement by presenting all problems as intractable and unknowable. But here’s our suggestion: why not take one thing that matters to you – the environment, pro-choice laws, pro-life laws, health care, education, roads, the economy, or whatever floats your boat– and begin exploring a candidate on where they stand on that particular issue? Even if that one thing is your entire reason for casting your vote, at least you are then engaged in democracy and taking a stand for something meaningful!
Regardless of how you identify politically, please take the time to vote! If you need help figuring out the current voting laws, check out: http://www.headcount.org/voting-faq. And remember that there are volunteers in most areas that will arrange transportation to and from polling stations.
Then take it one step further, and encourage someone you know to go vote!