Did you get to the voting booth on November 2nd?

      Tuesday, November 2, 2010 was Election Day. Did you get out and vote? Was this
midterm election worth going to the polls for? For the past several months I’ve been
listening to my parents talk about the candidates; and watching on T.V the ads by all
candidates were almost unbearable. Wow, politics is nasty! I have to be honest, even
after all the things I saw on T.V, or on the web, I couldn’t tell you who is a democrat or
republican. Like a lot of people, I am guilty of using the “I don’t know who/what to vote
for”, so I guess I won’t vote. I have been thinking about all I learned in my high school
government class and started to remember why it is important to vote.
      Have you ever heard the saying, “Nothing in life is free”? This is certainly true when
you’re talking about our freedom in America, especially the freedom to vote. America
won independence with the Revolutionary War, and many people gave their lives for this
freedom. Maybe we sometimes take for granted the freedoms we have without realizing
what people sacrificed.
      There are many countries today run by governments that don’t allow their people to
vote. So, as an American I should feel extremely lucky that I have an opinion, and I have
a voice. Back in 1821, Thomas Jefferson said, “The legislative and executive branches
may sometimes err, but elections and dependence will bring them rights” (Jefferson)
Mr. J is so right, what did I not vote for? I decide to find out.
       On Tuesday, elections were held for all 435 members of the United States House of
Representatives, and 33 of the 100 members of the U.S. Senate. 34 of the 50 U.S states
elected governors to 4 year terms. There are state, national, and international issues
like; immigration, recession, health care, same-sex marriage and abortion that people
need to vote on. I blew it; I am now 18 years old so I could have registered to vote. I
should have learned about the candidates, and the issues. It is not like it isn’t easy to get
information; I could just go on line and look up the candidate websites and click on the
issues. It’s pretty easy to see what the candidates actually stand for. This would have
taken some time and effort on my part.
        I do know that the most important issues to Americans heading into the 2010 midterm  election are almost all related in some way to the U.S. economy. Between January 2009 and October 2010, things in our country have not improved much. The economy is what affects most voters. This is why I think there will be a lot of changes on election night. It seems to be that if the economy is struggling, people are likely to change leadership. If the economy is doing okay, people are more likely to stick with the same people and what is working.
       Times have been really tough the past 2 years. I think people are scared and want
things to be better so that may be why there was a pretty good voter turn out on Tuesday.
I heard on the news that in 2000 just over half the population, 51%, voted. I don’t know
what the percentage was this year, but I wasn’t in it and I am not feeling good about
that. I do think if people want things to change it is our responsibility to go out and elect
officials that we feel will be honest and help make our country better and safer.
       The government affects our life and by voting, we get a say. It makes us equal-
No matter how much money you have or who your friends are, everyone gets one
vote. Each vote sends a message- It lets the winners and losers know who supports
them. Politicians notice who isn’t voting- Candidates spend a lot of time on issues
that are important to older people, like social security and medicare because senior
citizens have the highest voter turn out. Whoever wins has the power to impact
your life- They make decisions about schools, the environment, safety, health, and
military. What happens now effects the future- People in office now are making
decisions that will affect your life now AND later. (http:pbskids.org)
        Like a lot of young people, I find politics boring. My grandparents are always talking
about politics, but my parents really have not given me many facts about them. I think
that if we want kids to start understanding that having the power to vote (when they can),
means they also have a responsibility to understand why they want to vote for someone.
It is difficult to teach kids something though if you don’t understand it yourself. I read
somewhere that 98% of Americans knew that the President of the U.S had the right to
veto a bill, but 69% of Americans did not know where the bill the President was vetoing
came from. Teaching kids about politics only helps them to be leaders of tomorrow.
       Why is it important to vote? It is a right we have as Americans. I didn’t take the time
to register, choose a candidate, find out where the polling place was, or research which
issues were up for a vote. I am going to learn from this. I was someone who did not vote;
I gave up a chance to make a difference.