While sipping on my coffee this morning and avoiding the cold weather just outside my door, I sat down at my desk to dig into the mail-in ballot that arrived at my mailbox yesterday while I was at school. I already know what issues are important to me so I took the time to google the candidates in the elections on my ballot to pick the ones with platforms best align with my own values. Now, I am not going to discuss politics and candidates in this post, however, I do want to stress the importance of not only exercising your right to vote but taking a little extra time to look over the core issues that make up the base of each candidate’s platform. It really doesn’t take much time to visit a campaign website, take note of how well each candidate aligns with your own personal values, and choose one that represents you the best. This small investment of time will make the vote mean a little bit more because it is more informed, and it turns the names on the ballot into something more than just inky characters on a piece of paper.
I think some people abstain from voting because they cannot find one that addresses their concerns 100%. Honestly, I find it doubtful that a candidate will ever completely fit into anyone’s idea of a perfect representative because humans are complex, and it is a lazy excuse to justify throwing away a vote. This idea that someone has to be absolutely perfect in order to vote for them is unrealistic, sometimes choices need to be made about what battles are the most fruitful to fight at the current moment, and that is reflected in political platforms. Usually, those running for office have used countless hours and resources to make that decision, so at the very least it is important to fill in the bubble for the person who is addressing most of your concerns in a satisfactory matter.
No matter what your political beliefs are, or how our opinions differ on the issues raised by society, I want to see people voting and standing up for their beliefs. In the explosive social climate that we currently live in, it is important that as many voices as possible are heard, and the way we are able to do that is by voting. There will always be opposing arguments in the political sphere of society, but only if votes are cast can satisfactory solutions to the most pressing issues be found.
