By Lee Burbage
First, I need to say this now. Please, for the love of some non-descript deity and all that is right in the world, register to vote. That’s it, plain and simple. I can’t tell you how incredibly frustrated I am with so many of my fellow students here at SCAD.
Being the political junkie that I am, I tend to get involved in several discussions about the upcoming election with many people my own age. Several, but not all, that I talk to are very intelligent and do have informed opinions. We go on and on for hours discussing several issues ranging from abortion rights to Sarah Palin’s speech during the Republican National Convention. However, when the issue of voting or being registered to vote does come up, I find time and time again that people young and old are not registered.
I don’t care if you vote Republican or Democrat. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re right wing or left wing. If you are a god-fearing evangelical Christian, or godless heathen, it doesn’t matter one bit to me. Sure I might disagree with you on a few issues. However, that is completely irrelevant. In the society that we live in, where information is given to you not only on a silver platter, but a silver platter that can reach you in less than five seconds, how can you not figure out how to register?
What is even more disturbing is that I find young, seemingly intelligent people who refuse to register. People have said to me in their defense, “It is their right not to vote if they don’t want to.” Honestly, can you care so little? You obviously follow the election. How can anyone not with all that is going on right now. “Palin said this,” “McCain said that,” “OMG you guys, did you see Obama on Oprah last night?” Being given the opportunity to vote is not something to take lightly. It is an important part of our government and culture.
The biggest excuse for those who actually have a legitimate reason is that there is not a candidate who they feel represents their views. My heart does honestly go out for those people. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest pitfall, to a two party system. However, do you know what not voting gets you? Eight years of the Bush administration. How can someone who has been hailed as one the worst Presidents in American history be elected two times in a row? How can someone who has damaged our reputation in the international community in such an alarming way have been elected twice? Not because we wanted to let him finish mismanaging the war. Because the people who stood up to let their voice be heard didn’t voice their opinion in the right place. The people who wanted to “rock the vote” forgot to register.
Please, if you feel the need to voice your opinion, which I highly encourage, then do it where it counts. Self-expression is a wonderful thing, and is protected by our government. Remember that the one place where your voice counts the strongest is the voting booth. In the 2000 election, Al Gore lost the election in Florida by a thousand votes – proof that every vote always matters.
