The Right to Vote

I had to take one political science class in college for my major, and I chose a course that had to do with covering current affairs. It had no tests, but a lot of essays and group discussions which was great for me and my journalism/public relations path. The instructor was a passionate doctoral student, who let us spend a lot of time discussing the topics of becoming president in addition to the concepts behind the voting process of the United States. The students who were actually political science majors and full of knowledge regarding our nation’s government spoke aggressively about Republicans and Democrats. They could get on quite a role while standing on their imaginary soap box, which in reality was our circular grouping of desks.

It was an October day and we were well into the term, when a discussion broke out regarding the right to vote. By this time, most of the students were starting to find a voice because we realized in order to get a good grade in the class, you had to speak up and contribute during discussions. I had no trouble with this, as talking too much is my strong suit. However, during the heated election talks involving Al Gore and George W. Bush, I stayed pretty quiet because I was not that invested in everyone’s arguing. I was somewhat excited to cast my first presidential ballot, but I was not by any means super pumped or super educated when it came to the candidates.

During our right to vote discussion, a young co-ed made a huge stink about how she was choosing not to vote in the election because she did not trust the candidates and by sitting out she was voicing a stronger opinion to the world. A lot of people nodded along with what she was saying. I did not nod along, but being a dumb college teenager, I also did not disagree and shake my head at her.

My instructor gave nothing away, but looking back, I think he was seething on the inside at the words this girl proudly stated because the right to vote is important and something that should not be taken for granted.

Right after the young lady spoke, she sat down, crossed her arms, and had that look on her face that people get when they are pretty proud of themselves. It was quiet for a moment and then a young man raised his hand to speak. He was a quieter student, who rarely talked in class. He had a foreign accent, but until he spoke in our large group; I had no idea that he was from another country. I think he said he was from Eastern Europe, but unfortunately my memory is unclear because I was in that phase of my life where getting a good parking space on campus was a bigger priority than a Poli-Sci requirement. I wish I could recall his name or how long he had been living in the U.S. on a student visa, but I cannot. I was an immature 19-year-old thinking more about meeting my friends at the Student Union, than taking good notes during discussion time.

This guy was passionate and a bit disgusted with the class, but he kept his cool and took his time as he explained how in his country people have died while protesting peacefully for a right to have a say regarding their government’s actions. If they weren’t killed they were tortured or harassed. He described situations of fear and seeing people he knew jailed for trying to earn a basic human right that Americans have enjoyed for a long time. This guy shook his head incredulously because he could not understand why we as Americans, would think so negatively about the privilege of voting. He took some long, hard stares at all of the females in the class because I don’t think women were casting many ballots in his hometown.

This young man was so irritated by the rationales the girl before him had been spewing, but he was never once disrespectful. He just felt that if we were not voting, then we were not voicing our democratic right to have an opinion. And the guy was right. He point blank asked in an open-ended way, how we could not appreciate the right to have a say? It really rocked the room, because by the time he was done talking his eyes were rimmed with tears of frustration. The polite tone of his voice, coupled with the incredible frustration he kept under control during his entire time talking has always stuck with me.

I do not know if this guy’s words affected anyone else in the class, but it got to me. I signed up for an absentee ballot that evening. And ever since then, I have tried hard to always be a voter. I really feel like people should never complain about government issues if they are not at least bothering to vote and voice some sort of say. It makes me cringe to hear people brag about not voting because they do not care about the candidates. I am also a woman who can vote, who has two daughters that will be able to vote someday thanks to historical females who earned us that right.

How can we expect change or democracy, if we do not at least participate in our right to vote?

Another big pointer I have learned from the right to vote, is to pay attention to the other elections happening. A lot of people only vote in national elections, which is silly. Votes matter always, but they really matter during the midterms, and for elections at the local and state level. Everyone is busy, but with the internet and the ability to vote by absentee ballot… a person can do a lot of credible, online research to determine the candidates that work for them. If you are interested in voting by absentee ballot, please check out this website.

The right to vote is an important one. Especially when you start thinking about your kids and elections regarding the school board, the town mayor, city council, reforming outdated laws, and spending local tax dollars. People are always going to disagree with certain candidates and specific amendments, but abstaining from voting solves absolutely nothing.

As a voter we can still be angry, sad, irritated, and amused at the current political climate, while as a non-voter we are just empty voices and that makes no sense at all.

Do you have any voting tips to share with the masses? Let us know by leaving a comment or sending an email to: kelly@familyfootnote.com.