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publicity, and voting
Nov. 4th, 2002 11:17 amThe Boston Globe did a front-page article about yesterday's anti-war rally! Yay! Read it here.
I was going to do a lengthy rant about people who don't vote, but I'll nutshell it for ya:
Assuming that you are 18+ and able-bodied and of sound mind, there is no excuse for not voting.
1. No, I'm sorry, "I was too busy/I forgot" does not qualify. The polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. You can get up a little early or get home a little late. You can find someone to watch the kids for fifteen minutes, or better yet, take the kids to the polling place so they can see the democratic process in action. Or, if you REALLY are too busy, you can simply call your local voting office and arrange to come in and vote early (although, by now it's probably a bit late for that).
2. No, I'm sorry, "there aren't any candidates I like" is also not an acceptable excuse. Go to the polls anyway and write in Mickey Mouse or Elvis or just "none of the above" on all the ballots. That counts as a vote. Simply staying home does not qualify as a protest against the system, because it's indistinguishable from being a lazy irresponsible jerk. The pollsters do not say "well, 30% of registered voters voted, 30% refused to vote as a protest, and the other 40% are just forgetful morons." Do you really want to be lumped in with the apathetic and the forgetful and the lazy?
3. No, I'm sorry, "I don't know enough about the candidates/issues" also doesn't cut it. Depending on how much of a responsible citizen you want to be, you can: a) vote for the offices you do know a little about, b) just vote the party line, c) do a little research, d) do a lot of research. These days everything is on the Internet, and it's trivially easy to find out who's running for what in your area and what they claim to stand for. Another great way to stay informed is to find an organization in your area that stands for the stuff you believe in -- the ACLU, the HRC, Planned Parenthood, the NRA, what have you -- and check their website. They will usually tell you whom the group endorses.
As for the issues, you don't have to be extremely well-informed to know how you feel about big things like taxes, education, health care, etc., do you? No. I bet you already know what your opinions are on those things. If you can't be bothered, or don't have time, to research the ballot questions in your area, just read them in the voting booth and go with your gut feeling.
To sum up: VOTE. You have to do it. It is not a right, it is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.
EDIT: If you don't know who your Senators and Representatives are, you can find this out at congress.org. You just enter your address and it will tell you the names of all your elected officials, as well as which district you're in. You can then use this info to find out who the other candidates are.
For those living in Massachusetts, ( info on major offices and ballot questions )
Also, if you're in California, you might want to check out![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tiggrrl who has posted several nice long posts recently about the various candidates and ballot questions.
End public service announcement.
I was going to do a lengthy rant about people who don't vote, but I'll nutshell it for ya:
Assuming that you are 18+ and able-bodied and of sound mind, there is no excuse for not voting.
1. No, I'm sorry, "I was too busy/I forgot" does not qualify. The polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. You can get up a little early or get home a little late. You can find someone to watch the kids for fifteen minutes, or better yet, take the kids to the polling place so they can see the democratic process in action. Or, if you REALLY are too busy, you can simply call your local voting office and arrange to come in and vote early (although, by now it's probably a bit late for that).
2. No, I'm sorry, "there aren't any candidates I like" is also not an acceptable excuse. Go to the polls anyway and write in Mickey Mouse or Elvis or just "none of the above" on all the ballots. That counts as a vote. Simply staying home does not qualify as a protest against the system, because it's indistinguishable from being a lazy irresponsible jerk. The pollsters do not say "well, 30% of registered voters voted, 30% refused to vote as a protest, and the other 40% are just forgetful morons." Do you really want to be lumped in with the apathetic and the forgetful and the lazy?
3. No, I'm sorry, "I don't know enough about the candidates/issues" also doesn't cut it. Depending on how much of a responsible citizen you want to be, you can: a) vote for the offices you do know a little about, b) just vote the party line, c) do a little research, d) do a lot of research. These days everything is on the Internet, and it's trivially easy to find out who's running for what in your area and what they claim to stand for. Another great way to stay informed is to find an organization in your area that stands for the stuff you believe in -- the ACLU, the HRC, Planned Parenthood, the NRA, what have you -- and check their website. They will usually tell you whom the group endorses.
As for the issues, you don't have to be extremely well-informed to know how you feel about big things like taxes, education, health care, etc., do you? No. I bet you already know what your opinions are on those things. If you can't be bothered, or don't have time, to research the ballot questions in your area, just read them in the voting booth and go with your gut feeling.
To sum up: VOTE. You have to do it. It is not a right, it is not a privilege; it is a responsibility.
EDIT: If you don't know who your Senators and Representatives are, you can find this out at congress.org. You just enter your address and it will tell you the names of all your elected officials, as well as which district you're in. You can then use this info to find out who the other candidates are.
For those living in Massachusetts, ( info on major offices and ballot questions )
Also, if you're in California, you might want to check out
tiggrrl who has posted several nice long posts recently about the various candidates and ballot questions.End public service announcement.
