Voting seems like such a simple task that you might take it entirely for granted. What more is there than just showing up to the polls, marking a ballot, getting your “I Voted!” sticker, and going on with the rest of your day?
In fact, there is much more to voting than meets the eye, particularly when you consider all of the rights you are legally entitled.
There are many reasons why you should vote, but the first and most important thing that non-voting eligible U.S. citizens must fully comprehend and keep firmly in mind at all times is the basic purpose of casting a ballot in any election: Tacit expression of personal preference in a public representative. That basic rule holds true for U.S. Presidential campaigns and local court administrators alike: Selecting the best candidate to represent constituents’special interests.
Therefore, failure to vote constitutes implied consent to governance by incumbent public officeholders. It further equates to forfeiture of any right to voice any complaint about current governmental officials – despite how inept or corrupt they may be [Don't Vote Don't Bitch]. The combined truths of all foresaid facts of American political life amount to a singular conclusion: failure to vote equals inexcusable neglect of public and private affairs.
There are important responsibilities of voters, such as your 12 voting rights. For example, if you are in line to vote when the polling place closes, you still have the right to receive a ballot and cast your vote. In other words, you can not be thrown out of a polling place if you are already there.
“The price of freedom is constant vigilance.” Despite passage of more than two centuries, since those highly revered words were given first utterance, they have proven truer than ever in today’s age of instant gratification and holding out illusory promises of gaining something without having to give up or give back anything whatsoever.
Perhaps Officialdom’s best kept secret and very true but little known fact is that the U.S. government is not a pure democracy. Instead, America’s central governance system represents a representative democracy (no pun intended). The key distinction between the twin models is reducible to scope of voluntary and mandatory participation.
While pure democracies are based on direct input by every individual stakeholder, representative democracies are run by popular votes cast by We the People to elect candidates with sworn duties to protect our collective best interests and ensure the general welfare by meeting our special needs and desires. Although this may seem to “dilute” positive impact of democratic societies, it actually facilitates order and social equity by decision making based on majority rule of all U.S. citizens.
For all the reasons outlined above, and many other valid grounds, it is especially vital to give voting rights first-place priority in your daily life. Besides paying tribute to thousands of unsung heroes and heroines who suffered, bled and died in the fight for equal franchise rights, it sets a positive example for future generations of progeny to follow into perpetuity as they become progenies.
