article-Vote

According to the Census Bureau 64 percent of Americans of voting age voted in the 2004 Presidential Election. And 47 percent non-registered voters reported that they were not registered to vote because they were not interested in the election or were not involved in politics. In my opinion that is absolutely pathetic. How can you live in the United States and not be involved in politics? The U.S. relies on its citizens to elect the leaders of this country and how is that possible if 47 percent of its citizens choose not to be interested in the election or they are not involved in politics. As far as I’m concerned, if you are a citizen of the United States, with citizenship comes responsibilities, number one being, to participate in the United States’s government. This insures that power will always remain where it belongs, which is with the people. Another 5 percent said that they did not know how to register. I must be misunderstanding something because there are many sites on the internet that will guide you through voting registration and if you do not have the internet; your public library has available computers. Many Americans refuse to vote due to beliefs that their vote won’t count or it will be canceled out by another voters. But, if you do not vote, then your vote will count for the opposing candidate. If you really think about it, one less vote for one candidate counts as a vote for his opponent. Seriously, how does someone take the United States’s government for granted? I feel that we are very fortunate to live in a democratic country. The fundamental feature of democracy is competitive elections or otherwise known as politics. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” So we the people must exhibit our freedom by voting. Vote - It's Your Right