NFL
By: Greg Rector
It’s one of the most common phrases in every election cycle “Every Vote Matters,” here’s some proof of that from the past mid-term election. The tweet below does not stand alone. In a New Hampshire State House race, there was even more proof. After a recount where the Republican candidate was ahead by 23 votes, the Democratic challenger actually won by just one vote.
A swing of 3,340 votes from GOP to Dem in the 5 closest House races would have allowed Dems to hold the House.
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) November 27, 2022
The ramifications of people not voting in the recent mid-term election in these 5 districts alone mean what we are faced with for the next two years courtesy of the new majority party will be politics of a destructive nature most of us truly despise. I don’t call the current majority party by the name they have nor by the three letters they’ve had for decades previous. This bunch is the antithesis of what they were during my upbringing and most of my adult life. An average of just over 650 voters who didn’t vote this past election in these districts means the likes of Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, and many of their cohorts will have the power to cause so much trouble for the nation.
The Vote is Sacred
I have voted in every election since I was old enough to do so. Democracy is from two Greek words “Demos,” which when translated means “people,” and “Kratos,” which means power. Basically “Power of the People.” One of the reasons the House of Representatives is also called “The People’s House.” Members of the House are by design more accountable and work more closely (supposedly) with those who elect them into office versus the Senators who are elected to represent the state they are from. From my earliest memories, the important role of our elected politicians was something drilled into me. Sure we have freedoms and that’s truly part of what makes being in a democracy a damn good thing. However, there’s also a responsibility as a part of a democracy to participate in the process.
I have voted even when I was forward deployed in my years as a United States Marine. I have voted abroad as I am no longer living in the U.S. and it’s to me mind-boggling how anyone chooses to not vote. It’s a sacred obligation that when not exercised has ramifications that can be absolutely severe. In 2016 thanks to 46.2% of eligible voters staying home or even worse the thousands and thousands of voters who cast ballots in other races but didn’t make a choice for President on their ballot, we ended up with 4 years of 45** (** denotes twice impeached), a man who violated his oath of office from his first day forward to the last day he was in office and who will go down as the worst office holder when historians start to rank in him in the lists we all know of. I cannot now, nor did I even once put the office and his name together. Voter apathy, cynicism, over the influence that money has in the system, I get the frustration, but I will never get not using the power we as an individual has to determine who should represent us in these positions of power.
What bothers me the most is you can be guaranteed in each one of those House districts, that way more than just the 650 or so voters who didn’t participate, they’ll be the first ones whining, moaning, or bitching about the decisions made by the party that will have control of the House of Representatives for the next two years. I have forever told people who do not participate but certainly do plenty of bitching and moaning, that I have zero respect for their feelings. My first response is always the same after asking them if they voted and get the typical replies of no, or I couldn’t be bothered and my favorite one my vote doesn’t matter, ” Your opinion on anything has no merit.” They get offended and I could care less. I will go off on anyone who thinks they can tell me anything about what is happening in the country when they can’t be bothered to exercise that sacred privilege of choosing who will represent them. It gets even worse when you go to the local level of the mayor, city councils, and school boards. Just today I had a row with someone in South Carolina who did not vote but was really upset that their school board was now pushing for book bans, and what can and cannot be taught about race. That’s why “Every Vote Matters,” is a truth. It sucks to use it but guilt is a powerful tool and in politics, for many non-voters, you better believe I use the sacrifices from the thousands killed in service to the country as to why their vote matters. Another favorite excuse I can’t stomach is ” I don’t know anything about the issues, or who the candidates are. How about not watching a favorite TV show or shutting off the video game and taking just a few hours in October before the election and actually reading about the issues and the candidates? It’s not something that requires years of study. You know how you feel about things and in this era with instant access to information, it’s easy to find out where a candidate stands on issues important to you.
Don’t let these folks off the hook, my friends. Don’t let them give you any reason for not voting and let it pass. There is no excuse acceptable to me and all of you who do partake in the process. It is incumbent upon all of us to help drive voter turnout, and voter registration as well. Whatever it takes to get these people off their butts so we don’t end up with what is about to happen in the next Congress or at city hall and your local school board.
