Educate Yourself Before You Vote
Once again we find ourselves in another election. Once again we see many groups encouraging people that do not normally vote to vote. Once again I think about a conversation I unknowingly walked into.
Years ago during an election year I was working at a sports bar. I walked up to a couple that was at a table having a heated discussion. They made the mistake of bringing me into the discussion. You should not ever assume that a cocktail waitress is not intelligent. I actually have a 145 IQ. I just had young kids and had to work nights when James was home from work.
The woman, thinking I would be on her side, brought me into the discussion at first. She said that it was disgraceful that so many people do not vote in a country that has the right to vote. I agreed with her at that point. Then she added that she believed voting should be required of all citizens. That is where she lost me.
Then the man thinking that he had me on his side said that you can not force voting in a free country. I had to agree with that. The he added that there should be some sort of incentive to get more people to vote. He said that maybe a tax credit would get more people voting. Once again I had to disagree.
The couple then made the mistake of asking me my opinion. One should never ask for my opinion because they really will get it. It will probably not be something they want to hear either.
Well, I went ahead and gave them my opinion and here it is....
Think about what people do not vote. Some do not vote because it is against their religion like with the Jehovah's Witness's. There are a lot of them too. Most people close the blinds and hide when they are going door to door. Do you really want them to vote? The remaining people that do not vote are mostly people that do not care. They do not care to vote and they surely do not care to educate themselves and make an intelligent decision. Do you really want these people to vote? You think we have it bad now. What if these people were forced or even given an incentive to vote? If people do not educate themselves before voting I do not want them to vote. I would actually thank them for not voting. Look at some of the weird people you see everyday. Do you really want them to vote?
I was looking for an image to add to this post and just happened upon this site. It shares my opinion that people need to educate themselves if they are going to vote. I really like the test to see if you should vote in the next election or not.
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My grandfather used to say, "If you don't vote, then you can't complain."
I think everyone should vote, but do not get upset if they don't. Many voters are disenchanted about the political process, and feel they no longer have a voice in their state capitol or Washing D.C.
So they're thinking, "Why bother?"
In a world where it is ok to lie, and trust is the forthought with the knowing of the lie behind it, I find it really hard to know what any one person that is running for office is really thinking. You can look at their past actions, and you can say that people change. At what point does someone really change and how much money does it need to make that change.
I'm a full believer that elected officials will change their mind with $10 million is wired to an off shore account. It is impossible to get the truth from anyone with there is a cloud of grey mass.
Those that lie cloud the truth for anyone else to see. It takes years to see the truth of what any president, or other government body has done.
I agree with you about the educated voter. I disagree that someone can be properly educated to make an informed dession with the grey matter that is being taught.
I agree. I see so many people support candidates bc a celebrity does or bc they seem cool or are interested in the youth. But that's not enough.
I definitely want to go to this site for the test but already know the result will be a request that I not vote! They will most likely give ideas on how to educate yourself in preparation so it will be worth it.
Also I agree with your commenters that it seems impossible to make a reasoned choice because of all the disinformation.
The problem with Democracy is you are supposed to "know" the people you choose. You should have reasons to choose that person instead of another.
Obviously this gets proportionally harder as the population increase.
In a small town your chances to choose the "right" person are much more than in a presidential election.
Regards from Uruguay.
PS: We have a mandatory voting system and everyone has their criteria created already. Of course we are only 3.5 millions in the whole country.
That is a valid point you bring up. Instead of promoting the candidates,it helps to educate voters first.