Allow me to explain; although I owe it to no one I still feel it needs to be said.
I did not vote.
It isn’t that I don’t believe in our political system, because I do. I just don’t believe that it properly works. I believe that the people have a small amount of voice in what our country does and who shall lead us.
We are taught that we have a multi-party system; those who wish to run for office can and will. My problem comes from the method. While there are really 2 black and white sides to our politics: Conservative and Liberal, there is so much more that lies between. Different people share different views for economic policies and social reforms and programs etc; and the black and white fades. While there may be 1,000 people that have separate viable ideas that would truly work for our country, only the two major parties receive attention to their specific views. The views of the others fade into the background noise. I personally believe it has been at least 15 years since a third party politician has offered contention or impact on the candidacy for President.
Here is something to think about. When was the last time a person was elected President from a third party (i.e. not Republican or Democrat or any historical form of the two parties)?
Abraham Lincoln. November, 1860. 152 years ago.
We have become an even greater country than Mr. Lincoln could have ever imagined yet there has been no one since him from a third party.
Now that we are in a time of media saturation, only those who are backed by the enormous finances of the two major parties even stand a chance. The political system of our country has become a club of elites who empower those who will further their interests and benefit them the most. We simply partake because it is our “civic duty” or to “exercise their rights”. Just 12 years ago, the “popular” vote was meaningless as the Electoral College, representatives that “we the people” trusted to follow our decisions, voted in opposition of what the popular vote dictated. The very same Electoral College that was put in place to simplify and check the election process; the very people we entrusted to follow our wishes.
At this point, or even before, I imagine people are saying any or more of the following:
“If you don’t like it, change it.”
“If you don’t like it, move.”
“Fine, run for office yourself.”
I am sure there are many people that think without voting, I lose the right to complain. In not voting though, am I not exercising a different right? The freedom of choice at its basic level.
I have a few answers to the examples above. For starters, the most obvious keeping me from Presidency, I am not old enough. More importantly for me, I am somewhat on the fence on some issues and my views are pliable depending on the specific situation. It is near impossible to run on a platform that moves. I can’t claim to be liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat.
If I were to move from the country, I would no longer be a member of what I believe to still be the greatest country in the world (I have lost faith in the political system, not the country itself). As for “changing it myself”; I believe the “occupy” protests proved enough, even with the voice of thousands very little change came about.
Maybe someday in the future I will run for office and climb the political ladder myself and hope to make change. I do believe, though, that money is more powerful a factor than the beliefs a person holds when it comes to being elected. I will never have the money to contend on a national scale, I will also never claim an affiliation with either party. I am not black and white on issues. Besides, the tremendous pressure and stress of President would absolutely drain me and be the end of me.
My bottom line belief is that the positions in Congress and of President, as I said earlier, are positions that are not brought about by a strong belief system or a sound plan. They are positions that the elite club puts into place to hold their interests and protect the vast amount of wealth that they already have. It is a boys’ club of rich simply advancing the most beneficial to positions of power, hoping to slow the demise of our system slower than their predecessor.
Please, don’t take this as me being unpatriotic. As I said, I love my country. If I didn’t I would never have signed up to protect it and its people. I believe each person is as important as the next; although some people take liberties and freedoms for granted (which perhaps I am doing with this…) but I am far from unpatriotic. Patriotism to me is the belief that your country, your home, is the greatest there is; and you would sacrifice to ensure its well being. I think everyone has sacrificed enough already to prove their patriotism. I will continue to show mine as well, just not at the voting booth. Not when I can’t identify with or believe in either candidate. Sure, there were more than two people on the ballot this past week but as I said already, third party candidates without a proper and true voice and without exposure don’t count in my book. When I see three people or more on stage for a debate, or when I hear the media cover more than just the two major party candidates, or if popular vote alone will determine who wins…then maybe I will vote.
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