One Last Reminder About the Mid-term Elections

To some, this might be seen as beating a dead horse. However, we are two days away from voting in the mid-term elections across the country. How we vote hinges upon our very future in determining the policies of state locally, nationally and internationally. I've made it a committment to talk until I am blue in the face about this issue because it is critical that there is a large turnout on Tuesday. In past elections, voter turnout has been very low due to the fact that Tuesday is a week-day in which a lot of people have to work, myself included.

The main reason why I vote is because of my parents and relatives who, prior to 1965, did not have a chance to vote in elections due to "poll taxes" and the "grandfather clause" inflicted because of Segregation. Because of the intimate connection I have to past history prior to the Civil Rights era, voting is much more important to me. My relatives were part of the many citizens in America who campaigned for the right to vote. My parents, especially, participate in every election because they remember what it was like to be harrassed and forced to pay to do their civic duty.

Voting may seem like nothing to others because it comes infrequently due to the length of years. But to me, hearing stories about how some would walk blocks, if not a mile to get to their precinct to cast their decision in local and national politics makes it important to study everything related to an issue I can to make a good effort when I get to the polls. It also humbles me because I walk in the footsteps of pioneers who fought despite being violently opposed to simply put their ballot in the box.

Although what happened in Ohio and Florida disappointed me greatly because it thwarted the voting rights of some Americans in trying to cast their ballot, I certainly hope that this mid-term election holds us wiser and more vigilant in terms of participation.

What are the other reasons why I vote?

1)It is as American as baseball and apple pie. The Constitution bestowed upon us freedom of speech. Voting is such an exercise of this right.

2)Voting is a privilege that people have to comment on the endeavors of government. Without the voice of the people, government would be little more than a dictatorship.

3)Despite the different stances we take about governmental policy, it is important every so often to tell our national leaders where we stand.

4)Not only the Founding Fathers fought for our liberties in establishing this country; everyday people like ourselves campaigned and protested for the right of all of us to cast a vote. One cannot forget the sacrifices the people before us made in order for us to get to next Tuesday. We should vote in honor of past citizens who have exercised their freedom of speech to fight for even the least of us.

5)This time is extemely critical. So many policy changes occurred within the past five years that jeopardize our very rights of expression and existence. In order to hold the present Administration in check, we ought to cast our vote to demonstrate our feelings on this matter. If one stays silent, that is as good as giving our politicians a blank check to do whatever they will to us.

It is important to put your best foot forward and submit your ballot in the box at the precinct you go to. Especially during these times, one ought to remember the signifigance of the ability to do this, even when the political ads and flyers continue to beseige us every moment until the mid-term elections.

With that being said, it is always helpful to reflect on the nature of voting. I know that our lives have increasingly become busy and cumbersome with the demands of family, friends and work. But, as we pay close attention to current events and sometimes feel helpless about their execution, it is important to note that voting allows us to obtain some sort of power for ourselves in the frenzy to push certain agendas ahead without our saying. Embrace that power and march up to your precinct. Proudly put that sticker on your voter's guide and think to yourself that you indeed did vote. You did not stay silent and allow your fate to be guided by those who might not have our best interests at heart.