Why Vote

I’ve decided to take a break from my usual topics of mindfulness and mental health issues to talk about something that I view to be extremely important-voting. The election is less than three weeks away and unless you’ve been living under a rock, I don’t doubt you haven’t heard about both candidates and have formulated an opinion about them. With that being said, the election has also become a hot topic of discussion. Many classmates, coworkers, professors and friends have discussed the election to an extent, all proclaiming different opinions and perspectives on the topic.

With that being said, there is one comment in particular that irks me. And that is, I am not going to vote.

While some may say that either candidate may not be the most ideal fit for president, as many of the people I’ve talked to often classify it as being the “lesser of the two evils,” it is not an excuse to not vote.

As a journalist, I am trained to not show bias towards a certain candidate, and I don’t normally discuss politics unless it has reached an extreme point of absurdity. However, with that being said, I have voted in every election (with the exception of one) since I’ve turned 18. I think that voting is something that is a civic duty, something that each and every one of us should take seriously.

With that being said, as Americans, we are given the freedom to vote. It bothers me that some people don’t take full advantage of that right, and it further bothers me that some don’t vote and then complain about who is running the show. If you have a problem with a certain candidate, vote so that they don’t come into office. By having the right to vote, you have the right to go out there and make a small difference in the country and in the future.

The goal of my blog is to make a difference in the world. Part of doing that is to vote. And I encourage you all, whoever is reading this blog, to go out there and vote on Nov. 8 for someone, whether they may Democratic, Republican or Independent. I don’t care who you want to be in the oval office, all I care about is you do your civic duty by going out and voting.