11.06.2007

spt.

the challenge: if liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost. --aristotle this is a gentle reminder that tuesday, november 6th, is election day here in the u.s. and while it's not a presidential election, i'm sure there are some very important issues on your local and state ballots.


i am a dedicated voter. i don't think that i have missed an election since i turned 18. in fact, i know i haven't. and sometimes i know that it is a bit of a pain to haul yourself to the polls and to cast your vote, but i do it because i value my rights as a citizen. even if my vote really doesn't make a difference, i now have the right to complain because i voted.

i grew up in a family that values the political process and the ability to make your voice heard. back in the day, before you could register to vote when you got your license, my mom was in charge (or something like that) of helping people register to vote. we would have strangers show up at our house for a few days a year looking to register to vote. she also served as a judge on election day. we could pretty much guarantee that she would be gone the first tuesday of every november, but we could always find her at the polls.

i remember when i was little, i would go with my grandma to local "republican women" events. that same grandma recently conned me into being a delegate for our local voting precinct, as well. last year, i spent the day before voting making phone calls to registered voters to encourage them to vote for a candidate that my grandma was supporting. i was supporting him, too...but she always seems to take her support to the next level. (luckily, i got out of doing that this year.)

my dad was once on the city council. my grandpa (my dad's dad), was involved in politics when my dad was growing up, too.

dinner conversations about political events and views were not rare. we were always aware of what was going on in the world and in our community. i didn't realize how unusual all of that was until i got out into the world.

i guess what i am getting at is that i would be disowned if i didn't vote. just kidding. but i would be very upset with myself if i didn't vote. i am grateful for my right to be heard, however insignificant that may be at times.

so i'm proud to say, i voted.

2 comments:

  1. i am always proud to vote, and take it as a very serious responsibility. we share a lot of the same views on this one.

    i'm proud of you!

    ReplyDelete