The most important thing you can do in the next month - VOTE
Kat blog this on Monday October 14 and it is so important for everyone of us to vote. Please do, your vote does count.
So as of the time I'm writing this, there is less than a month to the 2024 Election. There are been political discussions, disagreements, and ads for well over a year. Those have been on the radio, television, Internet and at almost every meeting regardless of meeting intent. And that's all well and good, but none of that means anything if you don't get out and vote.
So how many people DO vote? Per the US Elections Project, anywhere between 50 to 65% of eligible Americans have voted in the presidential election over the last 100 years.
Why isn't that closer to 100%? With all the overheard conversations and the adamant statements about this candidate and that, one would think everyone would show up at the polls.
I suspect there are many reasons. Some of the ones I've heard in the past include:
- But my vote won't matter. What can one person do?
- What if my state only has a few electoral votes?
- What if I don't have a ride?
- What difference does it make who wins?
But my vote won't matter. My state only has a few electoral votes so we don't count.
I have heard this come up over the years many times by different people. And often, the friends of those people feel the same. So why do they think their vote won't matter?
Did you know in 1876 Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidential election by one electoral vote?
And what about Massachusetts governor Marcus Morton in 1839 who won the race by a single vote?
Then there was a New Hampshire race in 1974 for Senator. There were several recounts and in the end John Durkin won by a mere two votes.
I'm sure most who are reading this remember the 2000 election when the results in Florida were going to determine who won the Presidential election? And the results as counted showed only a 537 vote difference?
These examples are just a few that prove every single vote is important and counts. If your state has just a few electoral votes (here in Montana we have just four), it still matters. Remember - a President was voted in with just one more electoral vote than his challenger and a governor won by just one vote.
What if I don't have a ride?
In most locations, there are multiple ways to vote. You could get an absentee ballot in the mail and mail it back or drop it off, or can get a ride to the voting office on other days before Election Day and do it in person.
If you want to vote in person and cannot get there yourself, there are other options. Check with Lyft in your area; they are offering discounted rates (and is some cases free for certain non profits) to get to the voting booth. While I couldn't find a program with Uber, they may offer the same. Also, what about asking a neighbor or family member to give you a ride? With early voting availability, it doesn't have to be on Election Day - it could be earlier. And why not call your local Election Office and see if they are arranging rides for non-driving voters. If you want to get to the polls, there's a way.
What difference does it make who wins?
I read an article that suggested more than 50% of people who don't vote feel that it just doesn't matter who wins. Everything is just going to continue on and it doesn't matter who is in the President's seat. They are apathetic about the entire process.
If they are indeed apathetic, then suggesting they just look at how the nation changes based on who is in power won't capture their attention. They won't want to read or investigate or discuss. Also if true, this doesn't seem to be something that is easily fixed, at least not in time for this year's election.
Perhaps if we personally know someone who fits in this category, we can just attempt to discuss with them. Maybe talk about why we feel differently and perhaps stress the importance of local elections which really do matter on a day-to-day basis. Maybe, just maybe, they'll decide to ride along with us to vote. It can't hurt to try.
Summary
Your vote counts, nationally and locally. If you are typically not a voter and you want to vote this year, make sure you're registered and go. And tell everyone you know that you are doing so. Perhaps the fact that you are going will convince other typical non-voters that this is the year for them to start.
In the end, if you don't participate in the voting process and you don't like the person who wins, it's partly on you that you didn't help the other person win. We should all be doing our part. So get out there and vote!
PS - This post is about the voting PROCESS, not any specific candidates. Hopefully any conversations that happen below will focus on the same.
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