Hey you folks out there? You should vote.
I don’t care who you plan to vote for. Well, I do a little, but I’m not here to convince you to agree with me. Voting is THE way to get your voice heard. And I’m not talking about the presidential ticket, I’m talking about all the way down to your local elections, as they arguably have more impact on you personally than whomever is in the Whitehouse at any given moment. You should take the time to learn about every race and ballot initiative that you’ll come across. Take a moment to learn about the stated stances and voting history regarding those stances that your elected officials take. And, if you could please, take a moment to do some critical thinking about the motives behind the actions our politicians take. Because what they say, vs what they do, do not often align.
While I have you here… if you, like me, are as frustrated about the state of our nation, it’s political in-fighting, partisanship, and catering to the ultra wealthy and corporate interests against the interests of the people they’re sworn to serve. Then you should take a moment to learn about how our ‘winner take all’ voting system will always lead to a two party system, and each party in the short term better serves its interests by becoming more and more extreme and cooperate less and less across the aisle. We need to change to a ranked voting system that will allow the public to ‘vote their conscience’ instead of voting against the person they cannot stand getting elected. It would allow people outside of the two parties to get elected, and would force more cooperation. This change will never be made at the federal level because the powers that could make the change got where they are by playing the game. But that doesn’t matter, because this type of change can and should be done at the state level. And the good news is that several states have already made the switch! Please consider electing those who want to see this change, or express your interest in ranked voting to your state leadership.
<– Voter
Jason Bubbenmoyer
“A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.” –Thomas Jefferson.