VOTING IN THE UNITED STATES

So you may be wondering: what does voting do for me and how do I know that my vote makes a difference?

So this post is going to be a little different. It’s a conversation between two of the bloggers, Elana and Adi…here goes nothing!

“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt (Brainy Quote)

Adi: Power comes from the people. So who should we give our power to?

Elana: That’s a valid point in defense of voting. But in terms of a philosophy, if the people have power, why must they hand it over to somebody else?

Adi: That’s true, but sometimes people want to do something with their lives other than running for office and having responsibility over hundreds, thousands, and/or millions of people, so why not leave that responsibility to people who are willing to take it, and leave the rest of the people to vote on who’s most capable?

Elana: Question on that – You’re working within the governing system that we have in America, correct? So you’re assuming that if a person can’t run for office and take on a plethora of responsibilities, they have to choose somebody else to do? But what if there were a way for people to be their own governing bodies? Because my problem with the system that we have is that nobody’s vote is going to truly represent their set of beliefs and politicians will manipulate words to gain voters, creating a corrupt system instead of a representative system.

Adi: That sounds a bit anarchistic, but I get what you’re trying to say. Politicians lie, people say things they don’t believe in, and with the way our system works, someone who you vote for may not represent all of your beliefs and values. However, if you don’t vote, that guarantees that the person that is voted into office will not represent any of your values or beliefs.

Because we started with an FDR quote, I figured I might as well add in another one: “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” (Brainy Quote)

Elana: The problem is – voting has come to the point where people are inevitably voting for the “lesser of two evils” instead of a person who will unconditionally represent the people’s interests. We’re reinforcing the idea that to be a politician, you just have to appear slightly better than your opposition. It’s no longer about the people. I’m not promoting anarchy (at least not openly) but what about noncompliance or civil disobedience? Voting is supposed to keep representatives in tune with the people’s belief and in check…but in my opinion, only the rich and powerful are actually having their voices heard because they’re the ones donating to the politicians and influencing who has the means to run.

And since you’re throwing around these quotes, here’s a nice George Bernard Shaw one, “Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.” (Brainy Quote)

Adi: That’s a really good point, and unfortunately, I think you’re right. So what does that mean: should we all not vote because we’re not being represented the way we hope to? Definitely not. The reason why I’m so interested in politics and environmental science is because I hope to be a part of the change I think the U.S. needs. Sure, I may not know what’s best, but I know changes need to be made. This means that people who are unhappy about government officials they are voting for should make a point of voicing their opinions so they are heard. People should even consider running for office because maybe enough people are just as fed up and agree with your beliefs and plans for the future. What does this mean? Never stop voting, and never stop being involved. But basically my point is if you aren’t involved in politics and choose not to vote:

Elana: Being involved, I agree with. I’m just not sure voting is the best means to facilitate change at this point. We both agree that the system is flawed, so why are we reinforcing it? Politicians are just trying to appear better than the other one…maybe though, a third option is what we need. I might be naive for suggesting this, but if we could get all the pissed off people (that you refer to) to back up people who might represent our interests better, or even amend the system we have, instead of working within the confines of a pre-existing system…we could actually have a government that accurately represents the people’s needs and tends to them. Voting might not be the way to achieve that though.

I don’t think the name I checked off on the ballot this year (I voted this past Election Day by the way…surprise!) is going to make any difference for the vast amount of problems plaguing this country. Dissimilar methods of getting your voice heard, such as noncompliance, civil disobedience, or other “less-scary sounding” forms of activism could help facilitate change in a more meaningful way.

Adi: That’s fair, but I still think that more political involvement is necessary, which starts with voting. But it’s not up to us, it’s up to the people. As I’ve said before, power comes from the people: so who will all of you choose to give power to?