November 11, 2002
Do you ever complain about George Bush, or Tom Dasche, or the liberal media, or the influence of the religious right, or the IRS, or the plan to invade Iraq, or the impotence of the SEC in curbing corporate corruption, or the pork that's in every bill congress passes, or campaign financing, or public health care policy, or welfare reform, or education funding, or about how neither candidate for some office is someone you particularly like?
Since 9/11, have you felt a little more patriotic, maybe wearing a lapel flag or putting a flag sticker on your car, or getting a little teary-eyed listening to "God Bless America"?
Well, today is election day. Did you vote?
If you didn't vote, then dry your eyes, peel off the flag, and SHUT THE FUCK UP, because you just forfeited your right to a role in this particular democracy. You failed to meet your solemn obligation to be part of the electorate. And by doing so, you lost your say in the matter.
Why so harsh? Because about 2/3 of eligible American voters don't vote, and as a result, the system is failing. Think about this: You get elected by getting SIXTEEN percent of eligible voters to vote for you. That's it. 16 percent. Get it? You win by getting more than half of the votes cast. Half of 1/3 is 16 percent. Or less, if there is more than one candidate.
The effects? The voting population is now a special interest group. 2/3 of Americans are not represented by public officials. Candidates are groomed to run for office based on their chances of winning, so candidates are chosen to suit that sixteen percent, not the majority of the population. No wonder so many people don't like them.
Furthermore, this fosters manipulation of the voting process. Towards the end of the campaign period, the goal isn't to "get out the message" and "become known by the voters", the goal is to find the people likely to vote in your favor and get them to actually vote. That's right. Most elections now are won by whoever convinced the most people to actually vote. The big final push by campaign organizations isn't focussed on winning over people to the cause. That tactic is abandoned, if it ever existed. The focus is on people who already agree with the candidate, and is all about encouraging them to get out and vote. That's not how the system was designed.
So if you voted, I salute you. Go ahead and say you're "proud to be an American". But if you didn't? Try this: Next time you're tempted to contribute an opinion during a discussion of some public policy issue, instead of giving your opinion, just shrug and say "I don't vote." See how that makes you feel. Do that for a while, you might just find the energy next time to get out and cast your ballot.
And you will get another chance. In two more years, you can join the democracy again. Those of us who already treasure it as a privilege will welcome you back.
Quick Update:
I just got back from voting. Our town uses an electronic scanner that scans the ballot as you hand it in. That provides timely returns, and also a running count of the number of ballots turned in. As of shortly after 5pm, my town was already way over 50 percent turnout. I'm very proud of that. I can't wait to find out the final number. Given the politics of this area, high turnout means I probably won't like the results, but I'll accept them far more comfortably knowing the turnout was that high.
Another update
Not ONE vote I cast was for a winning candidate. My state is now overrun with elected Republicans. This is irritating under any circumstances, especially as our Senate race was a toss-up, and it could have made a big difference if our former Governor Jeanne Shaheen had won the Senate race. BUT, it's a whole lot easier to swallow knowing that our statewide voting turnout was some of the highest in the nation. Go New Hampshire (DESPITE your bad taste in Senators. ;)One Last Update
My nephew's wife (what are you to me, K, second cousin of sorts?) made a really good point to me. The same rant that I made about voting applies equally to jury duty. Consider that next time your name comes up. Is it a disruption? Sure, but the same logic applies to jury duty as applies to voting. If you think the system has merit, then you have no choice but to do your part. Any attempt to circumvent the process is totally hypocritical. That's easy to overlook in our zeal to get out of jury duty, but it's true. Personally, I do *not* want to abandon the jury system. Someday *I* might get in trouble, and I'll damn well want that option if it ever happens.
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