Election Day! So what?

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting" Franklin D Roosevelt

Today is election day. The following is a conversation I had with myself regarding this fact:

Me: I don't even want to vote

Myself: That's not an option

Me: But I don't like anyone! What's the point??

Myself: Don't be that person. It's your civic duty, just do it

Me: Fine. Who should I vote for? Maybe I'll just pick a party

Myself: You're better than that, just stop

Me: Okay, should I vote strategically? Vote for candidate A so candidate B doesn't get it.

Myself: hmmm...nah. that's too cynical

Me: Alright. I'll do it. I'll vote my conscience.

Yes. It was this difficult to convince myself to vote my conscience. I refuse to identify with a particular party, because nowadays that gives people a license to make all sorts of assumptions about you. You identify as X so you believe (insert checklist here). I'm not like that. I believe all sorts of things as influenced by my life experiences, education, race, gender, religious beliefs, etc. Most people are a lot more complex than we give them credit for.

Here's how I voted: I made a list of the top issues as they are important to me. I then researched each candidate's stances on those issues and made my decision based on that. This may not seem like a world-shattering idea, but I got my fair share of criticism. There are those who feel I "threw away" my vote and that it "won't count."

But there's a tiny idealist somewhere in here who believes that if everyone in the country voted their conscience, we wouldn't have some of the issues we currently face in government.

The Green brothers encourage me to just get up and vote. Watch Hank Green's video below and read John Green's post here to feel like you're not alone.

#nerd #politics