Today is Election Day. Here in State College there is a heated race for district attorney that has been in the news. The school board positions up for grabs are also something of interest. As I rode my bike home from campus I briefly entertained the idea of stopping by the polls, but I decided against it.
I have no opinions on the candidates in this election. I should have done some research, but I did not. Bad job on my part. Right now I am armed only with the talking points from the local newspaper and local blogs, which makes me far from well-informed. With that in mind I decided not to vote.
The advertising campaigns targeted toward increasing voter turnout bother me. Not because I feel voting is worthless, but because the campaigns deliver this message: You Vote = Good Job.
And that is not true. The people who should be commended for voting are the people who know what the candidates they vote for and against stand for. Every vote should have a basis (a basis more developed than a political party, number of lawn signs, or a recognizable name). Of course this means voting takes some work, and that is why it is commendable.
Last year during the Presidential election I was reminded of tee-ball when I saw voter recruiting. You see, at the tee-ball level everyone plays the game to have fun. Every participant is a winner. As you get older you graduate from tee-ball to baseball and the competitiveness increases over time. Suddenly showing up to play without practicing will not cut it anymore. Breaking the rules isn’t cute or adorable, you should know better. Frequent mistakes are not tolerated. And not everyone is a winner. It takes skill, work, and determination to play baseball.
Voting should be like baseball, not like tee-ball.By the time people can vote in political elections they should have graduated from tee-ball.
Good voting requires collecting and processing valid information before the election, then taking the time to go to the polls. It’s not walking in the door and mindlessly casting a ballot to feel good about yourself. If you vote out of ignorance you have not fulfilled your civic duty, abstaining would have been more responsible.
