[Politics] Why I vote

[lysana]

I was aware that there were a lot of women and men who fought to make sure I could vote in this country long before I was born. It's my impression that far too many women have forgotten or not been told. This Snopes confirmation of the basic facts behind a chain letter making the rounds these days only reinforces that to me

Comments

[emberleo]

There have been times I have not voted, not because I couldn't be bothered, but because I felt voting when I was insufficiently informed was worse than not voting at all.

In general, I do try to get out and vote, and this is a lot of why. I didn't know the specific story of those particular suffragists, but I used to have all the dates and numbers associated with the amendments to allow different people to vote memorized. My Mom used to tell me about those terrible "literacy tests" that were used to disqualify blacks from voting even still when she was a kid.

I know people today who are disillusioned about voting, and I can't help but think "Don't you get it? That's what they want you to think - because they know that if they can make everyone like you stop voting, they'll keep winning."

--Ember--

[lysana]

Choosing not to vote due to feeling ill-equipped for X election is definitely far from the zone I was poking at. "Don't vote, it only encourages them" is complete nonsense. It's said by people who forget that silence implies consent.