Now more than ever,
we as Americans need to be actively involved in every election and getting as
many people as you know registered to vote. Off year elections usually result
in lower voter turnout than presidential election years, but the 2014 election
is not the election you want to skip. The mid-term election of 2010 and some of
the candidates who were elected that year is a very good example of what can
happen when people don’t vote in large numbers.
Voting is so
important that almost every commercial you’ll see over the next six months will
be a negative political ad. Thanks to the Citizen’s United and McCutcheon
decisions by the Supreme Court, candidates and their big money Political Action
Groups are going to flood the airways trying to convince us to vote for a
candidate of their liking and tell us why we shouldn’t vote for the other
candidate. These bad decisions, along with the horrible decision by the Supreme
Court to lift certain restrictions from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 will do
more damage to voting rights than the overt tactics of voter suppression and
intimidation laws used in the Jim Crow South.
The attack on
voting rights has reared its ugly head once again as we’ve seen bills being introduced
and passed in states all over the country, making it harder and more difficult
for people to vote. I’m not just talking about the new voter ID laws, but the subtler
changes like closing the polls earlier, decreasing the amount of polling places
(which lengthens the time people stand in line to vote), and shortening the number
of early voting days (a direct attack on Sunday Souls to the Polls drives). People
with huge chucks of money are being given free reign to influence the political
process in America and basically buy their way into office, while it’s getting
harder and harder for normal citizens to cast their ballots.
It is very
important for each and every one of us to make sure that everyone we know,
interact, and deal with are registered to vote. We have to be educated voters
because the political elite and their cronies are depending on us to be low
information voters. This explains why the approval rating for Congress is at an
all time low, but incumbents continue to be re-elected. We have the power to
hold our elected officials accountable and fire them when they aren’t doing the
people’s business. It is definitely time for some of the sitting members of
Congress to be given their walking papers because they are too far disconnected
with the needs and desires of the people they are elected to serve.
I
understand that some of you might be loyal to the Democratic Party, but really,
what has the Democratic Party done for us lately? Those of you who are loyal to
the Republican Party are in the same boat because more than likely, you are
voting for candidates who don’t have your best interest in mind. I know this might
not sit well with some of my friends on either side of the political spectrum,
but it the truth. Don’t get
married to a political party because then you'll start voting for the (D) or
(R) that comes after a person’s name instead of voting for that person. Voting
down party lines dumbs down the voter, and makes it easier to assume that a
candidate is ok just because they are a Democrat or a Republican.
Forgive me
for not having a lot of confidence in the Democratic Party and their failed
promises during campaign season, only to see them get elected and forget about
the issues of which they campaigned. The Republican Party continues to show
through their legislative agenda and some of the most outrageous candidates they
can find, that they do not give a damn about minorities, civil rights for the
LGBT community, poor people, women’s rights to choose, non-Christian Americans,
unemployed workers, or public school teachers. As one female radio talk show
host asked, “have you seen the things Republicans want to stick in women?”
I’m not
telling you which party to affiliate with, or who to support because I’m not in
bed with either party. For the record, I am a non-Party affiliated voter. I
purposely do not affiliate myself with either of the two major political
parties in this country and for that, I can only vote in general elections.
My lack of
trust in either of these parties to carry out the business of the nation is no
reason for me or anyone else to throw in the towel and not vote. Too many
people have given their lives and sacrificed a whole lot of blood and tears for
every American to have the right vote in this country. To me, it is a slap in
the face and an insult to those pioneers when we don’t take advantage of the
power we have through our vote.
If you have
not registered to vote yet, please do not wait until November to get
registered. Act now and let your voice be heard through the ballot, or remain
silent when the results of the election produce elected officials who care more
about getting re-elected than governing. Do whatever it takes to get registered
and help someone who might have trouble getting the necessary documentation to
get registered to vote. Our lives are going to be affected in one way or
another by the results of the upcoming elections, so be sure that your vote
gets counted because each and every vote truly does matter.
