It's so easy to feel discouraged, to fall on the side of apathy. It's so effortless to say screw it, the politicians don't care about me, they are beholden to special interests. They break promises, compromise away, and lie. But at the end of the day, no matter how flawed our system is, we still live in a representative democracy, where we get to elect our representatives at all levels of government into office to represent our interests. For without people "demos" participating in the process, there can be no democracy.
This morning I started thinking about why I vote and what it means to vote. My first job out of college, I worked for a foundation that, among other things, provide funding to GOTV efforts around the world, in countries where people continue to shed blood, fight corruption, and put their lives on the line just to vote in free and fair elections. When you learn what people in other countries go through just to have the right we treat so casually, it really puts this right, this honor, this duty we have into perspective. And then I thought about all those people who fought, risked and sometimes gave up their lives for a woman's right to vote in this country, not even 100 years ago, those who fought for the rights of African Americans to vote, that the Voting Rights Act was only instituted in this country in 45 years ago.
What kind of dishonor and disservice would I be putting on all of those before us and currently struggle for the right to vote if I didn't do my civic duty today and spend some time educating myself on issues and casting my vote?
On the personal level, I vote because it is important that my voice is heard. Yes, it's just one voice. But if I don't exercise my right to speak, then I am letting others speak for me. In this election, I cannot idly stand by and let my voice be mute while some crazy Teabagger who wouldn't have voted before but is all fired up now takes my place. And that's what I feel I'd be doing if I didn't vote.
I vote because my husband and I have a baby on the way, and I want to do my part to make it a better place for her. What I do today will affect her tomorrows. I feel like it's my responsibility as a soon to be parent to vote for her best interests - good public schools, infrastructure, economy. I cannot bear to think that her life could be worse than mine.
So that's why I voted today. What about you?