By Anna Clark
While home on fall break, I drove to my local county offices to complete an absentee ballot. As I walked into the old building I was hit by the familiar damp smell of cinderblock walls, manila folders, and progress- or maybe it was bureaucracy, it seems the two are connected.
When I received my ballot and sat down in the small metal folding chair ready to exercise my 19th Amendment right, I couldn’t help but feel that none of it mattered. In a political sphere so full of lies, empty promises and corruption, even casting a vote felt like a crack within my solid, moral foundations.
When people asked me how I felt about my first time voting for a president, I often kept the conversation short, explaining that my only option was to simply decide between the lesser of two evils. I knew I’d have to decide which big machine I’d let take advantage of myself and my fellow Americans for the next four years, with an ultimate understanding that no matter which of the two options I was voting for, the problem wouldn’t be solved. It would more than likely worsen.
As I filled in the bubbles on the ballot, and audibly scoffed at the option of straight-ticket voting at the top of it, I was left with no sense of freedom, pride in those who are being elected to serve us or reassurance that any of my concerns would be solved.
As I sat with my thoughts on my drive home, I questioned what exactly was the point of what I had just done. Did diplomacy die with technicolor TV? Were there ever ‘good ole days’ when the political landscape of America was not corrupt? After all, it seems that those who tried to do the right thing ended up punished by their fellow Americans.
Was the American Dream, freedom and rights for everyone just another empty promise? Will I ever even be able to afford my own home? I was certainly feeling very pessimistic about the whole situation.
Now as I write this article in which I’m supposed to be advising you on values I feel you should vote for, I can’t help but feel that I may have simply made you all just as depressed as I am about the whole thing. But one thing I’ve learned repeatedly about being at the bottom is that the only way to go is up. As we find ourselves in this pit of discouragement, the very thing we are discouraged about actually offers some hope.
Most importantly, progress is driven by problems. Stagnation is a killer of innovation, and dissatisfaction is fuel for change. Although we are feeling downtrodden, that should only encourage us all to try and do something about it. And although the feeling of apathy towards these issues can be overwhelming, ultimately, we are the foundation for our people’s future.
We are going to be the ones to have to live with the effects of those in power for years to come and we will be the ones to clean up the messes that those before us have made. So even though we feel discouraged, we should still cast our vote.
If we all think we cannot make a change and we disregard voting as an important step in the democratic process, then there certainly won’t be any changes made. Remember the value of your voice and the constitutional right you have to express it through the election of members of our society.
When casting your vote for a fellow American as mentioned above, there are many issues and values that could determine who that person would be. When asking yourself what is important to you, you may think of issues with the economy, laws on abortion, immigration, the health care system in America and numerous other problems plaguing our society. But I strongly urge you to take a different approach.
Instead of focusing on specific issues and counting on promises made by people who cannot guarantee they’re kept, look at the integrity of the individual. Integrity encompasses multiple characteristics including honesty, strong moral values, and being just and upright in one’s actions.
This integrity of character is necessary in order to lead a nation and should be prioritized when determining which candidate you should cast your vote for. After all, these leaders are supposed to be a reflection of the best of us.
So, when you make your way to the polls here shortly, remember why you are there. Take the bad and use it as fuel for good, find integrity in those you elect, and use your voice, even if there are some who don’t want it to be heard.
