Why Bother to Vote?

Are you planning to vote June seventh? Please don’t pass up this privilege merely because you don’t like any of the candidates. And if you do like a candidate, please vote for him or her on the qualifications and not just because they seem like a nice person or because they could be the first female or political outsider in the Oval Office.

Those who have read any of my columns already know that I am no fan of either Democratic candidate or of Donald Trump. That won’t deter me from voting. There are important other races on the ballot.

If you happen to watch television, and who doesn’t, you may have seen the campaign ads for US Senator. Yes, Barbara Boxer is retiring – a fact that we conservatives can well applaud – and the media have chosen her replacement, Kamala Harris.

Right, but there are other candidates. Loretta Sanchez, another Democrat, gets airtime too, but what about the remaining 32 candidates on the ballot for that office? Are you even aware of them? The County sends out a handy guide before each election. If you haven’t thrown it in the trash along with the junk mail, you might want to check out the rest of the ticket. Harris and Sanchez aren’t the only ones vying to be our Senator.

Actually, Harris and Sanchez may not even be the best-qualified candidates on the ticket. Yes, Virginia, there are Republicans and Independents running for the office too!

For far too long our state has voted in the US Senate with one voice, a liberal voice. Isn’t it about time to give the rest of the state a voice in government? After all, we are not all liberal Democrats.

The Unites States is a Republic. Congress does not take a national poll on every issue before them. We elect representatives to speak for us in the House and Senate. For far too long only the liberals have represented California in the US Senate. We are long overdue for a change.

Looking on the ballot you will also find races for US Congress, California Assembly, County Supervisor, and Judges. Also, in this election, there is a single ballot initiative, Proposition 50.

None of these elections are worth ignoring merely because you don’t like the choices. Even if you don’t vote for a candidate, you are in effect giving your vote to someone else, someone who might vote for a candidate you really don’t like.

If you are registered Democrat or Republican, there are, in fact, other Presidential candidates on the ballot besides Clinton, Sanders, and Trump. You want a protest vote? Being mindful of the fate of lemmings, you could always pick a candidate not already anointed by Party higher-ups.

Then too, there are other Parties on the Presidential ballot besides Republican and Democrat. If you have registered as “No Party Preference” or “Nonpartisan”, you can vote for candidates in the American Independent Party or Libertarian Party.

The most important issue is that you exercise the right not afforded many people in other countries, the right to vote. This is still a country of the people, by the people and for the people. As long as you vote, you are helping to form a government in your image. Your vote puts you in charge of your government. By not voting, you abdicate your voice in government to those who do vote.

Do I care how you vote? Of course, I do. The question is do you care how I vote. If you agree with me, please help support my candidates with your vote. If you disagree with me, you could always negate my vote; otherwise, I make the selection.