By Asher Wertheimer
People, please vote. I know we are a year out, but this is so important, that we have to start talking about it now. I’m not going to get political here and say who you should vote for, all I want you to do is vote. Our democracy is very important, and it only works if we as the citizenry do our duty. Some people may tell you that your vote doesn’t matter. That in the grand scheme of things, one vote will not make a difference.
They’re wrong. Here is why.
I do not like our electoral system. I think the Electoral College is broken and must be abandoned. However, I still cast my vote. I do not throw myself to the floor and claim that the system is broken, so what use is it. I do my part in trying to fix it. For starters, if I was the only person in the country who said that my vote didn’t matter, and was inconsequential, then I would probably be right. However, when hundreds of thousands of people say that those votes add up, and we have a large portion of the population not voting, because they think they’re the only ones. In fact, if all of the people who hadn’t voted in the 2016 Presidential Election had voted for a third candidate named Nobody, then that person would have won by a landslide. Alone, we have little power, but together we are strong.
Moreover, if someone says one vote never made a difference, then they’re wrong. President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln after his assassination, was impeached by the House. His case was brought before the Senate, and they voted to remove him from office. But guess what? He was saved. By how many votes you ask?
One.
One single person was the difference between removing him from office, and not. One vote can, and has made a difference.
So don’t throw yours away.
When November 3rd, 2020 rolls around, go out and vote. I don’t care who you vote for. Just vote. You can make a difference.
You have a voice.
Use it.