Robert J.

Why do I vote?  It boils down to this:  if you don’t vote, you don’t matter.

The notion that even if you don’t “do politics” that somehow politics doesn’t touch you is sorely misguided.  Voting carries real power. Not all politicians are equally bad– some are demonstrably worse and the decisions politicians might make could be good or awful for you. Many are dedicated to the public they serve, and voting is a way to reward those who do right and to penalize the greedy and stupid.

Things never have to stay the way they are. If we opt out of participating, or if we give up, change will never happen.  Furthermore our history has been written in the literal blood of those who died for the freedoms we enjoy.  If and when you don’t vote you lose the right to complain with any integrity whatsoever.  Voting makes you feel good, it’s simple and it is a positive in a world otherwise filled with rampant negativity.

Every aspect of our lives are impacted by those in elected office, as they make decisions which affect our communities.  I, for one, am unwilling to cede such authority over my life or those of my family to people who will not be held accountable via the vote.