Random Acts of Voting

Post By Lisa  @ http://earth2body.net/ 

 

This weekend, my nine year old daughter asked me, “Mom, do you have to vote? Is it a rule?”
 

I thought about it for a while. The truth is, as a younger person I didn’t always exercise my right to vote. My early 20’s were spent on egocentric activities, college, and various other recreational activities. I’m kind of embarrassed to say so, but I really didn’t feel like the elections had much impact on my life. I thought the issues being debated had little effect on me personally. I wasn’t always extremely educated on the actual details and candidates’ records so I sort of thought it best not to commit random acts of voting. I KNOW. Shame on me.

I am now a middle aged mother, business owner, educator, and a woman. There are so many issues that have impacted and will directly affect me in the years to come. I have a clear sense of who I feel is the right person for the offices, presidential and congressional.  I explained to my daughter that women haven’t always been able to vote. Originally, the only people able to vote had to be Caucasian, male, wealthy, AND land owners. Peasants, women, and minorities were not allowed. To this, my daughter gasped and said, “That’s just lame.” Yes. Yes it is.

 

I explained to her how many people have fought and even given their lives to ensure women have an equal right to vote. The fact is women have been allowed to vote for less than 100 years. Mississippi did not even ratify the Nineteenth Amendment until 1984. That’s sixty four years after the law was enacted nationally.
 

I also found myself explaining my opinions on uninformed voting. I firmly believe citizens should only vote when they are fully informed on the issues. There are a great many people who have very little knowledge of the candidates or their stance on various issues. As we’ve seen in news, many people would have a difficult time passing our own United States citizenship test, so it’s lucky for them they don’t have to. I do not believe it’s best for our country for anyone to play multiple choice, political roulette on November 6.
 

So, to answer her question I finished with this. “It is our right and obligation as citizens and women to participate in our election process. However, elections aren’t the time to wing it when you didn’t do your studying.
 

 

What do you think?