To be blunt, it’s pure arrogance to benefit from a civilized society that is built off of democracy and not vote. Thus, as a beneficiary of society, it’s my civic duty to vote.
I understand that people have their reasons for not voting, which include dissatisfaction with candidates or distrust in our current system in general. I think these are fair and valid reasons and can understand why this would keep people from voting in good faith. I concede that in an ideal world, abstinence from voting would be a fine thing to do.
But recently, I stumbled upon a song from rapper YelloPain, called “My Vote Don’t Count.” While this song reinforced my opinions on voting, it still does a fantastic job at weaving together information and personal appeal as to why voting is so vitally important. To summarize: all elected officials, including the president, congress members, governors, and beyond, have a direct impact on not just your life, but the lives of everyone around you. As it’s put at the end: “Every time you don’t show up because you think it doesn’t matter, someone else is happy that you didn’t show up. So they can make that decision for you.” YelloPain does his own song far more justice than I ever could, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
In order for a democracy to function properly, it requires that the people who live and benefit from it take an active role in shaping its laws and government. Without the people’s voice, we have a dictatorship. The people may not know what’s best either, but they know what they want and need. While this might enable the majority to create a “might makes right” system, in an ideal democracy, the majority have an obligation to protect the rights of the minority. While we most certainly do not live in an ideal system, what we have is better than nothing.
Although it might seem like participating in this system only feeds into its flaws, the only other alternative is through direct means such as rioting, storming government buildings, and setting up a new government. Personally, I’m not about that and would rather do things through channels that don’t involve violence. Passivity does nothing but enable those already in power. We have been given an avenue for change; let’s use it.
Really, it becomes a question of pragmatism for me. No, I don’t know enough to make the “right” decision. Yes, what information I do have is going to be influenced by the biases and interests of whoever is sharing that information, but I have no desire to sacrifice practicality on the altar of idealism. There are so many people out there that are impacted by the people that we vote into office. If I believe myself to be someone who cares about the wellbeing of others, I can’t help but think that it’s my responsibility to vote. That, in a sense, is fulfilling my own personal agenda by appealing to an ingrained sense of virtue.
It’s true that we don’t have an objective view of politicians, their positions, and policies. We don’t have enough information to make the best decision for both ourselves and the whole. But if we believe in democracy at all, we have to play our part. We might be wrong, but I believe there’s only one wrong decision, and that’s to do nothing at all.
