I'm from the "old enough to fight, old enough to vote!" generation, and I have never missed voting in an election. But I had a friend who has probably never voted in his life — he certainly didn't in all the time I knew him. He used to complain constantly about politics, politicians, the government, and so on — and when I would say "you should vote" his excuse (I won't dignify it by calling it a "reply") was "all politicians are corrupt, it won't help, nothing will change". Sound familiar? I've even been known to rant this way myself, while carefully punching those little holes in my ballot card.
But let's look at the argument that since "all politicians are corrupt" one shouldn't bother to vote. I say, if politicians are corrupt, then it's to our advantage as voters to vote for the ones we think have been "bought" by our side and are thus the "least corrupt". For me as a union woman that happens to mean politicians who support unions, but that might not be true for you. For you, a politician who supports your church's policies or your favourite charity might be the least corrupt choice. Wouldn't you rather vote for the person you perceive as "least" corrupt rather than sit on your hands and let other people elect the one you think is "more" corrupt?
I hear people say "nothing will change" even if we vote, but I think we have seen very definite changes between federal administrations: the Reagan era was different than the Clinton era which again was different than the Bush eras. And these differences do matter — the decisions made in the White House, Congress, and the state congresses affect our day-to-day lives in both obvious and subtle ways. Your job, the value of a dollar, the size of your child's classroom, your retirement — all will be directly affected by decisions made by elected officials from the city to the federal level. Presidents appoint Supreme Court judges and other officials, whose decisions can have a lasting impact. The result of an election can indeed change things for many people. Your vote is your expression of the kind of changes you do or don't want made, not just in your country, but in your life.
It seems to me that as a country "we the people" have got the system we've been willing to put up with. We can't use the excuse of big money setting the rules — America is full of millions of people, and if the majority of them weren't content to acquiesce to the way the system works, it couldn't work that way. Voting is the easiest part of being a patriot, but it's a part many people seem to have trouble "getting around to". If you are not willing to even mark and mail your ballot (c'mon, in Oregon it's mailed to your door — what could be more convenient?) then as I see it you obviously are happy to let other people make decisions that will affect your life and with which in many cases you will disagree.
The United States is said to be a democracy. It isn't, really, as political science majors might tell you, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is that if you want a voice in how things are run, you can have it, and most of the time no one will threaten you or your family over it. You can write a letter to the editor and you will generally not hear the jackboots at the door shortly afterwards. You can convince people you have a good idea and run for public office, and chances are excellent that you will not be assassinated, win or lose. And you can vote. For us in Oregon that's a fairly safe bet — there is still a paper trail, and lots of organizations besides the government, on all sides of the political spectrum, interested in seeing that our ballots are counted fairly.
There's also a flavour for every taste when it comes to politics. Of course there are the Republicans and Democrats, but there are also the Greens, the Pacific Party, and the Constitutional Party. There are even the "kooks" — each of us will have their own definition of those of course, but they do make reading the voter's pamphlet more fun!
Not sure of the issues? Even if you haven't kept up, there is usually a voter's pamphlet with arguments for, against, and neutral, to help inform you of what appears to be at stake for any one candidate or issue.
It's obvious where I'm going with all this rhetoric. I WANT YOU TO VOTE. Of course I want you to vote in this upcoming presidential election, but I also want you to vote in all those "little" elections - the ones where it's "only" a school levy or two on the ballot, and they fail even though the majority voted "yes" because the voter turnout was only 21%. The elections where we decide who our mayor, county commissioners, or city councilpeople will be. The less "sexy" elections. Obviously the president and Congress have a big impact on our lives, but in many ways the local elections have even more impact.
If you vote and your candidate or issue loses, I might join you in moaning, or gloat over the fact. But if you say you don't plan to vote, and then start griping to me about the wretched state of the country, city, state, etc., don't be surprised if I shrug at you and walk away.
In 2004. you may register to vote until October 12. If you have moved recently you should re-register. Government Documents, located on the main floor of the Knight Library, is participating in a voter registration drive, and you can pick up registration forms there. Due to a recent change in voter registration rules, if you complete the form and turn it in to an entity such as Documents which is conducting a registration drive, you need not supply ID. If you plan to mail your form in to the Elections office you will need to xerox some ID such as a driver's license.
Questions about your registration? The Lane County Elections office is at 275 W. 10th (corner of 10th and Lincoln streets). They are open Monday through Friday. The phone number is (541) 682-4234.