by Kitty K. Free
The election is near. No matter which side you're on, you need to make some noise and vote. If you're one of the fortunate Americans eligible to vote, DO IT!
If you complain like I complain, and you're a citizen who is able to vote, those complaints are invalid if you don't go to the polls. If you're not registered, in most states, you have 30 days before the election to do so. The election is November 6th, so you need to register NOW! Go to the US Election Assistance Commission or Rock the Vote, to find out about registration for your state.
Already registered, but need to verify your status, or your voting location? Go here to confirm your voting information. And PLEASE vote for the legislative branch. Voter turn out is always less for Congress (see stats from the US Census Bureau's "Voting Hot Report"). Voting for your senators and representatives is just as important as voting for the president. Our government is intentionally set up so that the president doesn't have absolute power. Without a Congress that's willing to work with the president, as well as call BS when they see it (which ever side your on), it simply can't work. Part of that checks and balances is us, the citizens. If we don't contact our congress, and take them to task for their actions, then they will keep acting without favor to our needs and goals.
I heard a congressman say that if 25 people call his office about the same issue, he takes notice. We complain about lobbyist, but we are the most important lobbyist of all, because without votes, they can't keep their job. They are fully aware of that. But they are also aware of many American's general ignorance about the way our government works, and they bank on that.
If it was up to me, the Constitution, and political science, would be as mandatory as math in school. Government would be taught from the 1st straight through the 12th grade. Foreigners getting their citizenship know more about our government than many Americans. Worried about letting Congress or the government know who you are? Don't worry; they already know. So make your voice known to them. Email them, call them, write them. Be friends on Facebook with them. Tweet them. I think about the fact that It's been during my lifetime that black Americans have had the right to vote. People died so I could vote. So even in situations where I don't like either guy, I still vote. It would be completely disrespectful to the people before me, and irresponsible as an eligible American, for me not to. People in other countries are dying so they can have their voices heard. We have that right, and too many of us take it for granted. So please, vote! In every election!
