Every Vote Counts
Every Vote Counts
by: Dave & Nita Anand
If you think voting is a waste of time – then think again.
It is the people, who by exercising their right to vote, elect local, state and federal officials, including the President and thus push forward policies that loom large on the town, your job, your taxes, your health care, your children’s education and hence the future of this nation itself. Elections are the cornerstones of our democracy and, in fact, voting is the process to form a healthier democracy that then is able to facilitate the most vital want of our life – happiness.
Think again - about people in far off countries who are unable to give their voting opinion because they live under a dictatorship or are crushed by a war or are fearful of terrorism or are steeped in backwardness. This voting right bestowed in you is a special privilege and to render a careful judgment is your responsibility. So think again and vote in honor of those who can’t and by doing so put the
right person in charge who represents your needs and concerns.
Leaving aside the third world nations, where votes are bought with tons of money or are denied wholesale, the United States can boast of conducting the most free and fair elections in the developed world. Still, only about 50 percent of eligible voters participate in the presidential election; the figures are much lower for local and state elections. This low participation may have to do with voting rights history.
Black American males gained voting rights five years after the end of the Civil War; the 15th Amendment established those rights in 1870. Rights for voting by women came much later in 1920 when the 19th Amendment was enacted. As a result of these two amendments, Election Day is the one day each year when those who vote - whites, blacks, young, old, women, and all minorities - is treated equal, except for felons who are still denied voting right in some states.
Lately that bright city we call America has been losing its brightness and luster as it desperately tries to slip out of the deadly recessionary hold it finds itself in. Your vote will decide whether or not America will break that stranglehold and be restored, once again, as the shiniest city on the hill.
The two men fighting to occupy the Oval Office are starkly different and the nation will steer much differently depending on who takes over the country’s reins for the next four years. Remember Al Gore and Florida in 2000 presidential election. Had Gore been the President instead of George W. Bush – we would, with good certainty, not have invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein and thus avoided putting America in the financial mess we are in. This is the one most important reason why we must choose the right person in the next election.
All the debate battles are over, but the mother of all battles - the battle of the ballots, on November 6 - is just ahead and your one vote will matter since Al Gore lost in Florida by fewer than 600 votes. Even fewer overall votes have decided many local and state elections.
Your one vote counts more this time around than at any other time and letting it go waste could prove to be very costly for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Statistics show younger voters are more likely to shun voting, but then they are the ones who have the most to gain and lose simply because they have to live with the outcome of any election longer than anyone else.
My conscious tells me to select the candidate with whom we stand a better chance to fix the issues pertaining to jobs and economy, fiscal cliff, budget imbalance, higher taxes, unaffordable Obama-care, over-regulation, trade restrictions and oil dependency.
For us, Mitt Romney is that candidate who we believe is capable of solving all these problems and more by virtue of his successful business experience and state governance. And thus, discarding our indecision – we will vote for Romney, who looked much more presidential in the third debate than President Barack Obama, both in demeanor and his vision for America’s future.
You must vote too for the good of the country since a more diverse opinion is rendered when a higher percentage of people participate. Now if you don’t vote – you will have no right to complain. Instead, you must bear the consequences of giving up your franchise and being irresponsible. It is not simply a matter of responsibility; suffrage is the source of real power behind politicians who falsely think they wield the rod by making the rules and laws (e.g. taxes). But they don’t, your vote does.
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said: “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”
So vote and feel the rush of power you have but are unaware of it.
Independents Dave and Nita Anand are decided and will vote for Romney.
Lynda
10:23 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
One vote can be powerful I come from a state which nearly always leads the nation in the percentage of eligible voters casting votes. Voting in my community is just a normal part doing one's civic duty. And nearly 70% of us vote in national elections. It is so distressing to me to read about the attempts--legal attempts, not "dirty tricks"--to take away the rights of voters. Unfortunately for the authors of this article, those attempts have not been done by both political parties. A vote for Gov Romney and any Republican is a vote for limiting the power of one vote. All--I repeat--all of the state laws and administrative decisions taking away the right to vote from eligible voters have been done by GOP secretarys of state or GOP controlled legislatures. Before you vote for any Republican, check out their support of voter intimidation.
Dave & Nita Anand
11:16 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
We are not aware of GOP limiting the power of one vote - If you have facts - you should bring to the notice of Media, like MSNBC(Leftist, Democrat) or CNN(somewhat Neutral), not FOX since they are pro-Republicans. The media should and will expose your concerns.
Lynda
11:32 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Thank you for your quick reply. The courts have been considering these GOP limitations on voting for several months now. The latest court case is in Ohio where the GOP sec. of state is refusing to implement an early voting day decision by the Appeals Court. Here in Florida there are several pending lawsuits and several that have been decided that have limited the power of one vote All of these court cases are public record. the legislation that was passed, the voter list purging have all been done in the full light of day. Please don't tell me that you are unaware of the voting controversy that has been covered by many, many reputable media sources for months. The Department of Justice is involved through the Voting Rights Act of 1964, in fact, in several states. You can't possibly be that misinformed to have missed the discussion both pro and con of this issue. Yes, the Republican Party of my youth was for encouraging voting by all citizens. The current Republican Party has turned its back on voting rights. In every state legislature controlled by the GOP, anti-voting legislation has been passed and in many states implemented. For those of us who value the power of voting, this has been shocking-- and very, very sad.
Dave & Nita Anand
12:19 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
We have heard of voter ID issues, which leads into this disfranchisement of people, but not that GOP candidates are doing this. WE LACK INFORMATION ABOUT PARTICULAR GOP CANDIDATES and If you know of GOP candidates who are behind this movement of disfranchising people - they must be defeated by your vote and other like minded voters in Florida and othet States as well. Every Vote Must Count and let DOJ take the lead as they are to fix any issue related to it.
Lynda
12:53 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Thank you for your reply. ALL of the current GOP candidates in Florida who have not specifically disavowed voter purging or making voter registration drives subject to criminal penalties (struck down by the courts now) are "behind this movement". Of course the problems go far beyond voter id legislation which can be abused to target voters for one party. Many of the laws and administrative decisions sow fear and confusion, especially those implemented within weeks of an election. And unfortunately for the 2012 election Florida is not one of the states where voters can be assured their votes will count. Elderly and disabled absentee voters are vulnerable to charges that their signatures given years ago no longer match; this is a process which can be abused by partisan country officials. I agree that media attention will continue to be important. Fair elections which count every vote do take vigilance and hard work. My problem is the openness with which GOP controlled state legislatures and secretarys of state are limiting voter participation in so many ways: by restricting the hours of early voting, loading up ballots with amendments (Whether the student body president should be a member of the University's governing body is not a fit subject for a constitutional amendment) or sending too few voting machines to a voting location. No one is so blind as those who choose not to see. And you are choosing to be blind to voting abuses.
Dave & Nita Anand
1:48 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
We were talking about what your Vote means and its power, not voter/voting abuses, which is a LEGAL matter. Both DOJ and the state legal apparatus must INVESTIGATE thoroughly and take actions to fix those abuse-related issues you mention. We are not blind to Voting abuses as you state, it was not the subject of this essay. Perhaps, we should write another piece on "Voter/Voting Abuses" and address all your concerns and concerns of others in that, and what should be done.
THIS ESSAY IS NOT ABOUT VOTER/VOTING ABUSES; we are US Citizens, but hail from India and you cannot imagine what happens in elections over there!!! - Thank The Lord you are voting in America.
Lynda
11:37 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Thank you for telling me you are US citizens who hail from India. I would have phrased my comments differently if I had known that India's democracy was a frame of reference for you. We are all shaped by our experiences even ones which happen early in our lives. So. please accept my apology for not being more sensitive to cultural differences between us. I must tell you that my frame of reference for voting is that it is a duty people take seriously. Voting is a precious right in my culture earned with real bloodshed. That is why the current abuses are so shocking. You are, of course, correct that your essay is about what a vote means. I would only ask that you think about what meaning a vote can have when one political party can openly legislate to limit the right of other citizens to vote. The power of a vote is surely diminished by those who seek to prevent political opponents from casting votes. You might look for some reading material about the Voting Rights Act of 1964. PBS also has an excellent series about what led up to the passage of that Act. Again, I congratulate you on putting together an essay on a subject dear to you both. And, thank you for replying to my comments.
Dave & Nita Anand
7:44 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thanks for the the kind words.
Freedom for India also came after plenty of bloodshed, I am the product(refugee) of Partition that took place in 1947(2 yr old), and even though Holocaust is the worst tragedy, very few people have the knowledge of the bloodshed and brutality of that event; there are many books on that episode like Holocaust and World War II. Voter/Voting abuses are real as you suggest and as we said - these must be investigated thoroughly and fixed as should the electoral fiasco, another topic for an essay.
I have been in US for over 45 years and my wife about 40yrs - so, you should know where our allegiance lies. America of 45 yrs ago was very different, so were India and China, and the world-at-large. Everyone and countries are evolving as countries are what their residents together are - great natures work - so, rejoice as we two have evolved to AGREEMENT.
Lynda
10:26 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thank you for sharing a part of your personal history. Although I have read comparatively little about Partition, you have inspired me to do so now. You are correct in that the other events of those years are more prominently covered in the US. It must have been a very difficult time for your parents. I am happy they found refuge in the US. Thank you again for your essay. I look forward to reading other ones from you both.
Dave & Nita Anand
11:20 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012
My parents stayed in India after Partition and struggled for years and decades to send children to School and USA, but like many Refugees from Pakistan, who worked hard and made it in India - THEY DID TOO. God Taketh and HE Giveth - Ours is a very good example of that Story with NO BREAD in those days and now Aplenty.