Constitutional Law

Just Vote!

By Katie O'Connor, Voting Rights Project

See how your members of Congress voted on the most important civil liberties issues >>

Wondering why your vote matters? Consider this: local, state and federal governments employ over 10 million people, and is charged with making decisions about your neighborhood's roads, your community's schools, your family's financial security, and your country's safety. Indeed, it regularly makes decisions about your fundamental rights to equality, liberty, justice, and democracy itself.

The decisions that are made in city halls, state legislatures, the United States Congress, and every other level of government really do affect the lives of everyday people. Not voting on Election Day is just not an option.

You may be a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic district, a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican district, or an independent in an overwhelmingly partisan district, and you may think your vote really won't matter. But it isn't always about winning and losing: Even if your candidate loses, you can be sure that whomever wins will have to answer to you as a constituent. You can be sure that she will know exactly how many people voted for and against her. And you can be sure that she will know all of those people are watching and holding her accountable for her actions.

Our ability, and responsibility, to vote for the people we most want to make the important decisions that are made by the government defines us as a country. We are a nation of fighters — we have strong opinions and we have built our nation around the ability to express those opinions. Voting is at the very heart of our democracy, and is the most fundamental way we can express our opinions.

So vote. If for no other reason, do it for your country. Vote!

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on October 29, 2010 (boomark / email).