The Importance of Voting

[Morgan Wick]

From http://morganwick.blogspot.com/2008/09/importance-of-voting.html

I understand why you might not think it's worth it to vote. Writing this, I found myself questioning my own desire to vote. It's been suggested, in an academic setting, that the impact of voting is so infinitesimal that, if the cost of voting is anything at all, it's not worth it to vote. Of course if no one votes, the system breaks down - not to mention there's suddenly a reason to vote again, because your vote suddenly becomes super-decisive. That remains the case for the first four or five votes before the value of your vote starts sinking back down to "why bother?" levels. You can see why even a member of the hundred-strong United States Senate might wonder why he'd bother to show up for all but the most narrow, party-line votes. (Of course, his votes are public so there's at least a little bit of incentive there.)

But over the next few weeks, leading up to the election, I aim to demonstrate why you - especially if you're in my demographic and age group - SHOULD vote, and hopefully deconstruct every reason you might have NOT to vote. That's the goal; if anyone has anything to add, any arguments I missed, they can e-mail me at mwmailsea at yahoo dot com. You can also leave a comment (possibly on this post) if you have any suggestions fo the series. If, after reading this entire series, you're still not convinced of the effiacy of voting, you can leave a comment as well and I'll aim to take care of any concerns you may have.

[offog]

1. Why people should vote.

Great post. I've voted in every election since I turned 18. That includes federal, provincial and municipal. I have a couple of points I use when I run across an apathetic voter.

- To the people who say "My one vote won't make a difference", I say that if a hundred people who feel that way go out to vote, that can make the difference between winning or losing a seat.

- To the people who say "All politicians are bums", I say that moderate people staying home on election day is how the crooks and wing-nuts get elected.

- I believe in the Steve Earle maxim: If you don't vote, don't bitch. That's why I vote, and do more than vote. I'm active in politics because I feel that if I don't do my part, I have no business complaining about the outcome. I'll never be a candidate or campaign manager, but a campaign always needs "gophers" to help answer phones, do computer work, stuff envelopes and drop leaflets.

This time around, voter turnout will be more important than ever. We're having a crucial Federal Election in Canada too right now. So everyone out there, help GOTV!