“Why do I have to vote? My singular vote won’t change anything!” and “There are millions of people in America, so my one vote won’t matter in the grand scheme of things, right?” are some of the very common misconceptions surrounding voting. These couldn’t be more wrong. Voting may seem like a small, unimportant thing in our nation, but when it comes down to it, every vote counts. Exercising your right to vote is extremely important.
Until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, the voting criteria looked extremely different in America. As I’m sure it’s very well-known, women and people of color weren’t able to vote. Now, living in 2022, there is so much more voting freedom. If you are an American citizen, 18 years old and over, you can register to vote, regardless of gender or race. It’s mind-boggling to imagine a world where only white men could vote for the longest time, although it isn’t shocking considering the state of our nation.
Now that we’re in the 21st century, being exposed to so many new ways of living, it’s so important to maintain our rights. By voting, we’re electing people to represent us and our rights. We’re electing politicians to make decisions about our lives in so many ways. Who the people elect could decide the future of our finances, bodies, and freedom. Imagine you decide to skip voting for the next presidential election. And when you’re watching the election on the news, you realize the candidate that’s in the lead wants to take away the rights of something you’re very passionate about, like gay marriage or abortion. If you voted, the results could’ve been different. Even one vote matters and can make a difference. It’s possible that different groups of people could lose their right to vote, depending on who is in charge of our country. If you want to maintain your right to vote, you need to start voting as soon as possible.
Voting registration is a super quick and easy process, and with our technology rapidly advancing, there are so many more options to vote now. Our country offers online voting as well as mail-in voting. There is also traditional in-person voting, and there are numerous locations around the United States. Voting is also a very simple and easy process and if we all exercise our right, we could see large improvements in our nation’s politicians.
Now that we have more freedom when it comes to voting than ever, we have to ensure that we exercise our rights to maintain that freedom. The future is unknown, and the possibility of our leaders taking away our rights is, unfortunately, always going to be there. By everyone doing their part, we could see tremendous progress in our country and gain more and more freedom. Make sure to head to the polls to vote on Nov. 8, 2022!