Don’t Forget to Vote!

By this point, few people need reminding that tomorrow, November 6, is Election Day in the United States. Billions of dollars have been spent, advertising on behalf of Democratic and Republican candidates around the country--including $1 billion on the presidential race alone. And TV news and opinion programs have been crowded for months with pundits and partisans of all sorts, trying to analyze who’s ahead in the races and what the fallout of projected wins might be. Despite efforts by Republican officeholders in Ohio and Florida, as well as by right-wing tea party activists, to hold down early voting efforts (which favor Democrats), voters seem highly engaged in this election, and the Pew Research Center is expecting a “big turnout.”

Yet there are still people who don’t think it’s important to vote. They may be frustrated that their views aren’t represented by the candidates, or they don’t care to be part of the political process and don’t see the issues at stake as important to their lives.

Since this isn’t a politics-oriented blog, I won’t go on about the specifics of what is at stake in this election. (If you’d like to read more on that, click here.) The bottom line is that your vote decides your future, in concrete ways, as well as the futures of your community and your nation. It is not a right to waste. If you haven’t already cast a ballot, please remember to do so tomorrow.