Editorial: Voting

Almost every media outlet is talking about the red takeover that happened election night, Tuesday, Nov. 4. They are reporting what happened, analyzing it, and predicting what’s to come.

Meanwhile, the “voters” either rest easy with their party’s win, or gripe about how America made the wrong choice. Except the thing is, simply by counting the votes that did come in, the results of this past election are the results desired by the majority of the people who actually care.

Who knows how things would have turned out if most if not all voters voted? One way or another, we’d have a government that actually represents the majority of the people’s desires, beliefs, etc. If 100 percent of people voted, there would be no room for the losing party to say, “Well, if everyone voted it wouldn’t be like this.”

One of the most common reasons, if not the most common, that people don’t vote is because they think, “My vote won’t matter. It’s just one vote.”

And you know what? They’re right.

There has never been a national or state election that was decided by one vote. They’re almost always decided by thousands or tens of thousands.

A person should not vote “to make a difference.” Voting is about being a part of something, something bigger. Your one vote will not tip the scale. No, the election is not hinging on your one particular vote. But to be able to align yourself with a huge group of people – tens of millions – and prove that you care about the issues you claim to, you have to vote.

For some reason or another, more than half the country did not vote. In the end, it’s those who actually care and those who put in the effort that get what they want.

Almost every media outlet is talking about the red takeover that happened election night, Tuesday, Nov. 4. They are reporting what happened, analyzing it, and predicting what’s to come.

Meanwhile, the “voters” either rest easy with their party’s win, or gripe about how America made the wrong choice. Except the thing is, simply by counting the votes that did come in, the results of this past election are the results desired by the majority of the people who actually care.

Who knows how things would have turned out if most if not all voters voted? One way or another, we’d have a government that actually represents the majority of the people’s desires, beliefs, etc. If 100 percent of people voted, there would be no room for the losing party to say, “Well, if everyone voted it wouldn’t be like this.”

One of the most common reasons, if not the most common, that people don’t vote is because they think, “My vote won’t matter. It’s just one vote.”

And you know what? They’re right.

There has never been a national or state election that was decided by one vote. They’re almost always decided by thousands or tens of thousands.

A person should not vote “to make a difference.” Voting is about being a part of something, something bigger. Your one vote will not tip the scale. No, the election is not hinging on your one particular vote. But to be able to align yourself with a huge group of people – tens of millions – and prove that you care about the issues you claim to, you have to vote.

For some reason or another, more than half the country did not vote. In the end, it’s those who actually care and those who put in the effort that get what they want.