Why Should I Vote on
November 6, 2012?
"If we listen, and speak,
and vote, we can choose the world we want, and choose leaders who will work
with us to create it."
- Lily Ickow, Intern, Episcopal Public Policy Network
Many
of our faith traditions and community organizations maintain that informed
voting is not only a civic duty but also an ethical one. Politics is about
shaping society so that all the people within it can flourish. If people want
to have a part in that (and it is definitely in their interest), then voting is
their moment to say ‘I do.’ President Eisenhower put it this way: “Politics ought to be the
part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and
privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in
our national heritage.” Voting seals your status as a
citizen; it’s “what citizens do.”
Thomas Jefferson stated, “Should things
go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable
exercise of their elective rights.”
On November 6, 2012, though you may have
more immediate things to do, like buying milk or getting a haircut, use your
vote – or maybe one day you won’t have it.
Democracy is a noble ideal toward which we are always in progress. As long as we can imagine how to confront the wrongs of our democratic tradition, we should vote.
Yet our country has a disturbingly low voter turnout. This means
that only a relatively few citizens determine the results of an election. If
you don’t vote, you will have to live with the decisions of those who do. Encourage others to register and vote too!
2 comments:
Ah, missed the training on the 15th. Has the next one been scheduled yet?
Hey Charlie,
Yes, there is another one. It will be Tuesday, May 29th at 7pm at Center for Disability Rights, 497 State Street. Bring a friend!
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