As Americans, I believe that it is our obligation to get out and vote every time there is an election. It is the people who we elect that have the ability to decide what our local, state, and federal governments look like. If you don’t vote, then your opinions aren’t going to be heard or taken seriously. If you did vote, chances are you’re like the majority of Americans who just vote on party lines. But do you know what your party actually supports? Do you know what every single candidate on that ticket supports? Do they support the party platform? Or did you just vote because you saw a campaign ad that made the other candidate look bad?
I know everyone has heard the generic “You’re vote counts!” and “Don’t forget to vote!” I think this is great, but I have one big problem with this idea. Any person voting should be informed on the positions of every single candidate in the race as well as the party that they are running under. For example, I don’t always vote for the Republican candidate because they don’t support the same ideas that I do and, instead, I will vote third party or write in a candidate.
If I’m being completely honest, I have yet to vote for a Democratic candidate. So far, no one on that side of the aisle has reached out to me to prove that they deserve my vote. In addition, I have read large parts of the party platform, and, as a conservative, the number one thing I notice is that it doesn’t align with my values or the ideals that are important to me.
The reason I bring this up is that I am informed about the Democratic Party platform as well as the Republican platform. How can I say that I have voted mostly Republican if I haven’t even attempted to understand what positions the party supports? With this said, I am not entirely supportive of the party platform, but I do agree with the vast majority of it.
I think it’s also important to mention that you shouldn’t trust all campaign ads. Fact check them and do your homework to understand the full story behind that quick 10-second clip that made the candidate look bad.
I want you to vote, I really, really do. But you need to be informed! And don’t feel bad to go to the voting booth and only vote for positions in the federal government, or just your local government. And don’t think that you’re wasting your time if you vote for the third-party candidate. Third-party candidates win in local and state elections all the time. There are even third-party senators in the federal government, although they are rare. Don’t be afraid to support them, just make sure your voice is heard!
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