Friday, August 24, 2012

I'm glad I didn't vote.

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Not too many years ago people would say to me - don't complain - you didn't vote.  And my reply would be that I didn't have to vote to be able to complain, that's what's great about the United States - free speech extends even to people that don't vote!

Why didn't I vote?  Because politics bored me silly and when I tried to pay attention it just didn't sink in.  My eyes would glaze over and off I'd be onto something else.  I'd convinced myself it was all too enormous - the economy, foreign policy, domestic policy, the house, the senate, secretaries of this and secretaries of that.  I knew who the main people were but beyond that - the whole subject didn't compute for me.  I reasoned that I was uninformed and would rather not vote than place an uninformed one. 

I thought I was a democrat because at some time in my life I remembered someone (no idea who) telling me that democrats were the party of the working man, and republicans were for the rich.  So I must be a democrat, right?

Then September 11th happened.

Suddenly I paid attention.  I found myself drawn to the news, day in and day out.  Suddenly, people who I rolled my eyes at in the past when they said they were political junkies started to make sense to me.  I was hooked and I realized - I wasn't a democrat.  Not sure I'm actually a republican either but much more on the right than the left.  It took the next few years for me to realize what I believed and who I believed in and to form strong enough opinions to confidently feel like I could vote as an informed member of the electorate.

In November of 2004 I voted in my first election, ever.  And I voted with both of my children who were voting in their first national elections.  We went together.

Every citizen in this nation has the right to vote.  But I sincerely wish that if they cannot say they are truly informed - they would wait to vote until they are.  Especially in this election.  It is too important to be a popularity contest or a response to the slickest campaign.

I'm glad I didn't vote before I educated myself.  Because I wouldn't have been voting for the right reasons or with the correct information.

I mean really - the People of Walmart vote.  It's scary out there.


5 comments:

Fuzzy Slippers said...

You didn't vote? I didn't know that. You stopped reading me sometime ago, that's fine, but now, I can no longer read you.

Janie Lynn said...

I sent you an email Fuzzy, I am not sure you read my post. I am glad I did not vote when I was uninformed. I do vote now. There are many reasons I have not been reading and commenting on a lot of blogs lately, It's hard to keep up with the number I used to read. I was hoping to start catching up - I just know I will not be able to be incredibly consistent with that, but I hope I will be welcome if I visit your blog.

Janie Lynn said...

Oh, and I voted for McCain last time, not that I should have to defend myself.

Fuzzy Slippers said...

Oh, Janie! I shouldn't jump to conclusions like a big dummy. I'm so sorry that I totally misunderstood you. Of course you are always welcome at my blog.

Janie Lynn said...

I've never seen you be unfair, seemed like you just misunderstood.

Thanks for taking another look!