why you should vote
With this being an election year, TV is overflowing with public service announcements urging you to vote. Well, this is the 21deadmonkey version of one of those announcements. Only instead of some celebrity spouting off some pithy slogan, I will instead present some reasons why you should vote. Actually, a better title for this rant would be "Why your lazy excuses don't hold up" as I will take a look at some more popular excuses and tell you why they are wrong. Excuse 1: My vote doesn't count anyway. Thanks to the political climate of the founding fathers, where states' rights were of primary concern, we have inherited the Electoral College system which makes it possible for a president to be elected without winning the majority of the popular vote. This, as we learned in the last election, sucks. It makes us feel as Americans that our vote really has no power. And to be fair, if you don't live in what are called the swing states, you're vote may not seem to count. But just because your vote does not directly elect the president doesn't mean it doesn't count. Firstly, if you do live in one of the swing states then your vote does count. Look how close Florida was in the last presidential election. Every vote counted then. So there is always the chance that your vote could count. Secondly, just because your vote does not count towards a candidate, it can count towards a demographic. Politicians do look at who votes. And guess who votes the most--old people. So politicians cater to old people and listen to them because they vote. But if people between the ages 18-25 voted more, they could have just as big an influence. Don't believe me; let me tell you a little story. A long time ago, back in 1992, a very popular president named George Bush lost his bid for re-election to a backwoods governor named Bill Clinton. One of the factors in this upset? MTV launched its first Choose or Loose campaign, encouraging young people to vote. Rather than ignoring this segment of voters, Clinton embraced them, even appearing on MTV and fielding the famous "boxers or briefs" question. In other words, your vote does count. It may not count directly but it is the way that it is built into the system for you as an American to express your opinion. Also, just because your vote doesn't carry much weight at the national level, the more local the election the more your vote counts. Excuse 2: I don't like Bush or Kerry. Ok, well welcome to the club. The truth is this happens, honestly I ain't too found of them either. But this one doesn't get you off the hook either. You still have options. One is to go the lesser of the two evils route. Instead of voting for the candidate you like the most, you can vote for the candidate you hate the least. For instance, the Communist party is not supporting a presidential candidate this year. Instead they are throwing their support behind Kerry, not because they like Kerry, but because they hate Bush that much. Speaking of the communists, you always have the option of voting for a third party candidate. While it is unlikely your candidate will win, your vote will still count as showing support for that party. Finally, you can just write someone in. Can be whoever you want: Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Mickey Mouse, Boston, whoever you want. Heck, you can even write in none...which brings me my last excuse. Excuse 3: It's too much trouble to go and vote. Excuse me...but what the fuck do you mean its too much trouble to go and vote?!?! Voting is not only your right as an American but your duty as well. Countless men and women have given their lives in service so you can vote. You know all those freedoms the Constitution gives you--like freedom of speech which lets you enjoy this fine comic? These freedoms have a cost, a price that you have to pay. And that price is your vote. When you vote, you are not just picking a president, you are making a statement. You are saying, "I am an American citizen and I take my freedoms seriously. I understand that it is everyone's job to uphold those freedoms. And I can do that by voting." So, there it is. Who knew that such a simple act could have such profound ramifications? So, in many places it isn't too late to register, so get going. And go vote in November! More Information: http://www.declareyourself.com/ Will actually let you register online. Also cool public service announcements directed by Kevin Smith. http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose/ Choose or Loose…Still going. http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm The mail in form to vote. http://www.fec.gov/elections.html The federal elections commission official page. http://www.registerandvote2004.org/ Another site dedicated to getting you to vote. https://ssl.capwiz.com/congressorg/e4/nvra/ Congress's official page about voting.
back to rants
All contents copyright 21deadmonkeys.com 2005 All rights reserved.
