Some of you are going to want to crawl through the computer and shake me silly when I say this....but, I've seriously thought about not voting next week. Why?
1) Just like I knew when voting in Texas, I know in New York who will win the Presidential election. I feel like my vote is pointless/worthless. I know there are probably other city/state campaigns that may be closer races that I should want to have a voice in, but honestly I don't have a clue what those are and can't seem to get interested enough to find out.
2) I feel irresponsibly clueless about even the Presidential nominees and the issues at stake. I need to educate myself better to feel confident in who I'm voting for. My sister DID come through her computer and shake me silly the other day when my mom mentioned to her that I mentioned to my mom that I might not vote. After listening to my mom and to Beth and then sitting at a dinner table in NYC with 5 republicans last night (not a common occurence in NYC, I assure you...but maybe it doesn't count since we're all Texas born & bred), I feel more confident about my vote...and like I've been brought back to my senses a little. However, I still feel bad that I haven't spent more time reading up on things myself and verifying the accuracy of those things (because I feel like almost everything in the media, on the internet, or in emails is distorted).
3) I have had 2 separate friends who do not know each other at all tell me the exact same nightmare of a story from their voting experiences 4 years ago. They are both Republicans and both had almost identical humiliating voting experiences. I preface this by saying that I have heard that the NYC voting booths are extremely old. My 2 friends each went into their voting location (on separate ends of Manhattan, mind you), came up to the desk and they were asked which ticket they would be voting. "Republican" was their answer. Then, they went into the little booth which was now supposed to be set to the Republican ticket. They scan the ballot and realize that it's all democrats on there. So, they poke their head out to alert the voting volunteers. At this point, the volunteers FREAK out and act like they are seeing an alien or something. Then, they proceed to exclaim things like "You're really a Republican!" OR "I've never met a Republican before!" OR "Really? You are the only one we've had today!" At this point, the volunteers are flustered because they don't know how to change the ballot from the Democratic ticket to the Republican ticket. If I vote on Tuesday, I will be confidently voting Republican and do not want to be called out like this. I need to start coming up with some clever comebacks in case I find myself in such a situation.
I will probably end up going on Tuesday, but I cannot say I am really looking forward to it.
Disclaimer: This blog post is in no way supposed to be political. It is only about me voting on Tuesday. Publicizing who I am voting for isn't the point of this post. Neither is convincing you to vote for a certain candidate. Basically, I am NOT here to start a debate. If your vote doesn't align with mine, I'm sure I already know. I'd rather not get comments telling me why you think I'm wrong. I'm probably not voting based on the same criteria anyway.
6 comments:
I LOVE your disclaimer! Good luck next Tuesday. Matthew and I decided this year to request absentee ballots. So we were able to vote at home and turn the envelopes in at our convenience. That is definitely the way to go!
Susan - or anyone else reading these comments, regardless of where in the country you live - you can call this nationwide voter helpline anytime if you have any trouble voting, or if poll workers give you trouble. It's 1-866-OUR-VOTE, and it is completely non-partisan.
Also, you can google your local bar association or newspaper if you need tips on who to vote for in smaller races and don't have the time to research them for yourself. (I don't know how it is there, but in Illinois we elect judges, and there are far too many on the ballot to have a clue, but printing the bar associaton's tip sheet can be helpful in weeding out the truly unqualified ones.)
Lastly, people vote or choose not to vote for many reasons, but for me it has always been an important civil right to exercise simply because it was so recently (I mean, really recently in the grand scheme of things) that women didn't have the right to vote. People died for my right to vote, so I want to honor that. And if I want politicians to pay attention to my demographic, then I need to vote.
But those are just my personal reasons - I understand that other people have other reasons for voting or not voting and I can respect many of those other reasons.
Wow - sorry for the longest comment ever!
I am glad you decided to vote!! Sounds like it will be a "fun" experience:) Can't wait to hear how it goes!!
Just proud you ARE voting. If it makes you feel better, we'll be entering a new voting booth as well - same state, different county & city. I don't know if they're the same or not?!?!
(BTW, I was starting to think you sounded like your dad. I recall a heated family debate over whether or not our votes matter a few years ago in San Diego... ;)
Actually, Nicole, dad's reasons for not voting are are different than man (we just had the debate again on the phone last night). He just thinks that God is Sovereign and in control. Although I completely believe that God is Sovereign and in control, I don't agree with dad in making that a reason not to vote. I could get into that here, but it would make for a REALLY long comment post.
Yikes...mistakes in my comment!!! First sentence should read "Actually, Nicole, dad's reasons for not voting are different than MINE"!!
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