My Vote Doesn’t Matter. Yours Does.
As long as I am going political (last week I wrote about President Donald Trump and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) I might as well keep it up. The United States of America is holding a Presidential election this November. Which means that there are a lot of adds, talk, social media posts... about candidates and the election. In addition to the myriad of campaign advertising is also a push for people to actually vote. I’m going to let you in on a secret. My vote doesn’t matter. Yours, however, does.
What do I mean that my vote doesn’t matter? Of course all votes matter, right? Well, they do. All votes matter in an election, that’s how democracy works. We vote, decisions are made. Most elections are decided by much more than one vote difference (here are some exceptions). If elections aren’t as close as one vote, then my one vote doesn’t matter. But there’s a catch, because all those individual votes add up and they do matter. Your (plural) vote matters! My vote does matter, but only when it is added to others - our vote matters!
In past presidential elections, the turnout of eligible voters has been near 60% for the past century, with midterm elections closer to 40% or 50%. If all those people who don’t usually come out to vote did vote, well... they could definitely make a difference. That percentage of the population could join forces and have a third party or write-in candidate win any election. Look at that power! The power of numbers, the power of making a single voice heard again and again and again. That is why one vote doesn’t matter, but all those individual votes together do matter. (Note: In the following graph VEP = Voting Eligible Population.)
I don’t want to persuade anyone to vote for one candidate or another. But I do want to persuade you to vote. I want to persuade you to use your values - your beliefs about how the world is and how it should be - and vote for the people whom you think would best make that happen. Because your vote matters. Every vote together matters. I am going to vote not because I think one vote will make a difference, but because I know all those individual votes together makes a difference.
Here’s a great video by the artist YellowPain which speaks to the power of voting. As an added bonus is his push for education about voting and especially voting in midterm elections. Yes, the presidential election is important. But please, oh please, keep up the push to vote and have your voice heard those times when it isn’t for a president.
“Every time you stay home, someone is making a decision about you. Making decisions about the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food your kids eat, and how much money you bring home every two weeks. So every time you sit out an election, 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. Vote!” - Desiree Tims
Some Useful Resources: - Am I registered? How do I vote? - vote.org - Who should I vote for? What do they stand for? - isidewith.com
