Don’t Vote
No, seriously. As wonderful as civic duty is, there’s also civic responsibility. If you plan on voting in November, answer the following questions out loud before reading on:
Who are the two major party candidates?
Who are you voting for this November?
Why?
If you could not answer the third question, don’t vote. If your answer for the third question was “I can relate to him” or “the other guy’s eletist”, do not vote. If your answer used the words “Hope” or “Change” as reasons, do not vote. If your answer included the concepts of “national hero”, “black man”, “female vice president”, or “Mulsim”, do not vote. None of these are good reasons to vote for anyone, and that last one is flat out false.
If you made it past this first part, congratulations. You’re not an idiot. Unfortunately even good reasons can be wrong reasons. Now answer the following questions out loud:
Of the two major candidates, which one is typically considered Liberal and which one is typically considered Conservative?
What does it mean to be Liberal or Conservative in this context?
If your answer to the first question was anything but “McCain is typically considered conservative and Obama is typically considered liberal” (possible exception granted for an ideological disputation about whether conservative really applies to either one), do not vote. As imperfect as these labels are, they provide at least a rough marker for the candidates’ position on issues. Though it is beyond the scope of this article to verify the answer to the second question, if you couldn’t answer it, or if your answer didn’t include anything about the economy or government spending (I’ll give a dubious pass to a moral issues explanation too), don’t vote. Without the answer to that second question, you’ll have no idea about the framework that the candidates use to make decisions.
If you didn’t make it past the two sets of questions, you’re in good company. According to surveys, the majority of Americans wouldn’t. Their votes amount to nothing more than electoral static that rewards dubious campaign promises and sensationalism. A nice slogan and a snazzy graphic designer do not make a good president. A folksy, charming demeanor does not make a good president. Issues make or break a president, and if you don’t contribute to an emphasis on issues in the election, you’re contributing to media sensationalism.
But, no one wants to admit being a part of the problem, and not voting would be an admission of that. Luckily, you don’t have to be! If you failed either of the tests, take a moment first to decide what you believe and why. Not on a whim - do research. Everyone likes cutting taxes, but what are the cons to that? Universal healthcare is a nice and desirable thing, but what would be the drawbacks to that? After that (not before), take a look at the position pages of both McCain and Obama, and see who lines up better.
Keep in mind that voter registration drives are most often set up by candidates who want you to vote for them. They’d rather you cast an uninformed vote for them rather than no vote at all. But for the country at large, a non-vote is far preferable to an uninformed vote.
But an informed vote still trumps all. If you passed both sets of questions, or are making amends by researching the issues, I encourage you with the same force as any voter registrar, vote! And encourage others to vote as well - on the condition that they know what they’re voting for.
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