Enfranchise Yourself
Guess what? You don't have to be obsessed with politics to vote. Voting does not mean you are, or will become, a political junkie. In fact, voting ideally should not be left to only the most fanatical zealots on either end of the political spectrum. But midterms, lacking the figurehead of the presidential election, are often relegated into their hands.
I understand the reasons why people don't vote in midterm elections, because in the past, I never did. People don't have time to educate themselves on all the proposed initatives and referendums, to familiarize themselves with all the candidates running in various seats at all levels of government. Politics is such a dirty game, and people don't want to get involved.
I respect wanting to be an informed voter, but do you really believe that every person who votes has done comprehensive research on every ballot item? It's a laudable ideal, but the reality is that in every election, but particularly in this election cycle, there is a group of people who will be voting out of fear and ignorance, and I would not be surprised if this group outnumbers those who did all the homework.
And it's true that politics has become a tawdry enterprise, not helped by the way the news media covers it, but disengagement is not the solution. This is not the same thing as staying above entertainment tabloid talk. Christine O'Donnell is not a Kardashian sister. Unlike the Real Housewives, the individuals in political gossip have real potential to have an influence on the lives of the citizenry. There is no nobility in abstaining from the election just because you don't want to be associated with their lot, because if you withhold your vote, you very well may be, whether you like it or not.
In the past, I've abstained from voting because I wasn't really crazy about any of the choices. But it's very unlikely that you will always (or ever) encounter a candidate who is a perfect match to all of your opinions and beliefs. As in romantic relationships, the perfect mate (or politican) just doesn't exist. But unlike your personal life, in which you can choose to abstain from dating or marrying in the absence of a suitable partner, in politics, if you do not choose, one will be chosen for you.
Of course, it's possibly true that your life may never be directly or concretely affected by which candidate wins which office and which way a bill swings. Congratulations: you are probably young enough to ride out the economic recession, healthy enough not to need medical insurance for a preexisting condition, educated enough never to be out of a job for very long, and light-skinned enough never to get stopped in an airport or while driving. So am I. But chances are you are only one or two degrees from people who aren't, and even if you still personally don't know anyone for whom the decisions made by government make a difference, I hope you have at least enough of a conscience to vote on behalf of the strangers, your fellow Americans, in need. Eventually, I believe that what's good for the whole country will prove to be good for you.
(A special note for my fellow followers of Christ: I don't actually personally know too many of the "Pat Robertson" type of religious-political figure. If anything, there are more of my dear brothers and sisters who are politically disengaged. These Christian friends of mine are honest, hardworking and generous people who, in accordance with Colossians 3:2, "set [their] minds on things above, not on earthly things." But lately I've been convicted that not voting is an act of selfishness, because it means choosing not to be involved in your community. Moreover, what about Paul's command to Timothy to be vigilant against false teachers? For better or worse, politics is the most visible arena for Christians in the mainstream. Do you know what words are being put in Jesus's mouth, especially lately? We are commanded to defend truth, and to seek justice for the fatherless and the widows. Volunteering in shelters and donating to soup kitchens is wonderful work. But why not use all the tools available to us?)
In short, I'm not saying that everyone needs to start DVRing Rachel Maddow (or Glenn Beck) or religiously reading the Huffington Post (or the Drudge Report). All I'm asking, if you're a citizen of the United States of America, is to do the absolute minimum that your citizenship grants you, which is to go to your nearest polling station at some point on Tuesday and cast your vote.
The video below is admittedly partisan, but it communicates more movingly what I am trying to say. Please take some time to watch it, and please do not take for granted a right that not all of us had as recently as forty years ago, and that citizens of other countries still cannot enjoy today.
I understand the reasons why people don't vote in midterm elections, because in the past, I never did. People don't have time to educate themselves on all the proposed initatives and referendums, to familiarize themselves with all the candidates running in various seats at all levels of government. Politics is such a dirty game, and people don't want to get involved.
I respect wanting to be an informed voter, but do you really believe that every person who votes has done comprehensive research on every ballot item? It's a laudable ideal, but the reality is that in every election, but particularly in this election cycle, there is a group of people who will be voting out of fear and ignorance, and I would not be surprised if this group outnumbers those who did all the homework.
And it's true that politics has become a tawdry enterprise, not helped by the way the news media covers it, but disengagement is not the solution. This is not the same thing as staying above entertainment tabloid talk. Christine O'Donnell is not a Kardashian sister. Unlike the Real Housewives, the individuals in political gossip have real potential to have an influence on the lives of the citizenry. There is no nobility in abstaining from the election just because you don't want to be associated with their lot, because if you withhold your vote, you very well may be, whether you like it or not.
In the past, I've abstained from voting because I wasn't really crazy about any of the choices. But it's very unlikely that you will always (or ever) encounter a candidate who is a perfect match to all of your opinions and beliefs. As in romantic relationships, the perfect mate (or politican) just doesn't exist. But unlike your personal life, in which you can choose to abstain from dating or marrying in the absence of a suitable partner, in politics, if you do not choose, one will be chosen for you.
Of course, it's possibly true that your life may never be directly or concretely affected by which candidate wins which office and which way a bill swings. Congratulations: you are probably young enough to ride out the economic recession, healthy enough not to need medical insurance for a preexisting condition, educated enough never to be out of a job for very long, and light-skinned enough never to get stopped in an airport or while driving. So am I. But chances are you are only one or two degrees from people who aren't, and even if you still personally don't know anyone for whom the decisions made by government make a difference, I hope you have at least enough of a conscience to vote on behalf of the strangers, your fellow Americans, in need. Eventually, I believe that what's good for the whole country will prove to be good for you.
(A special note for my fellow followers of Christ: I don't actually personally know too many of the "Pat Robertson" type of religious-political figure. If anything, there are more of my dear brothers and sisters who are politically disengaged. These Christian friends of mine are honest, hardworking and generous people who, in accordance with Colossians 3:2, "set [their] minds on things above, not on earthly things." But lately I've been convicted that not voting is an act of selfishness, because it means choosing not to be involved in your community. Moreover, what about Paul's command to Timothy to be vigilant against false teachers? For better or worse, politics is the most visible arena for Christians in the mainstream. Do you know what words are being put in Jesus's mouth, especially lately? We are commanded to defend truth, and to seek justice for the fatherless and the widows. Volunteering in shelters and donating to soup kitchens is wonderful work. But why not use all the tools available to us?)
In short, I'm not saying that everyone needs to start DVRing Rachel Maddow (or Glenn Beck) or religiously reading the Huffington Post (or the Drudge Report). All I'm asking, if you're a citizen of the United States of America, is to do the absolute minimum that your citizenship grants you, which is to go to your nearest polling station at some point on Tuesday and cast your vote.
The video below is admittedly partisan, but it communicates more movingly what I am trying to say. Please take some time to watch it, and please do not take for granted a right that not all of us had as recently as forty years ago, and that citizens of other countries still cannot enjoy today.
Click to view