UNITED STATES—I had made no qualms that I cannot wait until November 6. This political season has annoyed the absolute hell out of me. The negativity, the negativity is just too much when it comes to the political ads, they are just ridiculous and way too much. An ad is not going to make me cast a vote, people telling me who to vote for will not make me vote, I vote because I want to vote.
I think that is a very potent issue in the country. Too many people attempt to influence people how to vote. No, no, no, you cannot do that. No matter how much you try to scream to someone or tell them what they do, they will not do it. People are going to vote based on how they feel. They are going to vote based on how a candidate impacts their pocket. They might vote based on policy, they might vote based on previous voting records. They might vote on instinct. Whatever the choice is, you as an American have to respect the person’s decision because it is their vote NOT YOURS!
There is that argument that politics is the most decisive topic when it comes to chatter because individuals get so heated about how they feel. “Your candidate sucks, your candidate did X, Y and Z….” The list goes on and on, and you’re not going to make leeway so why are you even trying? Stop while you’re ahead. I am not super excited about any of the candidates this political season and I’m not referring to just the President of the United States, I’m referring to the U.S. House of Representative, Congress, local school board, judges, proposals, and so much more.
Yes, America, you don’t just have the POTUS on the ballot, there are a lot of other things, things that will have a direct impact on your life more than the POTUS. For me, my vote is not just about honoring my civic duty, but honoring members of my family who didn’t have the opportunity to vote at times. I recall my grandfather telling stories about growing up in Alabama and not being able to vote because of the color of his skin. Making matters worse were the threats of being lynched, beaten by police, having dogs attacking him or being sprayed with a fire hose full of water with extreme force if he tried to vote.
I want you to take a moment and imagine having to endure such things trying to vote in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Yeah, it’s only been 60 years since the Civil Rights Act was passed and before that there was plenty of animosity in this country when it comes to voting. The worst thing people can do is attempt to stop people from voting because it makes them want to vote even more. There should be no intimidation at the polls in any form of fashion in the early 1900s, 2000s or the present day.
I vote because it is my civic duty and right to do it. If I weren’t to vote, even if I didn’t want to vote because I could care less for the candidates, it is a slap in the face to my ancestors who didn’t have that right, or sustained scars whether physical or emotional when they attempted to vote. It simply means by not voting I don’t care for the fight my grandparents and their parents who pushed for that right, so I could go to my polling locating and not worry about encountering those things.
No matter who you vote for this 2024 Election, it is your civic duty to vote. Whether you do it absentee, early voting, on the day of the actual election, vote, because if you don’t, you’re not allowing your voice to be heard, so you can’t complain when you don’t like the result.
