The Problem with Voting…

October 13. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

Unless you haven’t turned on your tv, read a newspaper, gone outside or talked to anyone in the past six months then you are very aware of an approaching election that is kind of a big deal. It has already been dubbed “the most important election ever” and rightfully so. With such major issues as the state of the US economy, the ongoing war, the quest for universal health care and so many more that need to be resolved, the implications of this election are undeniably apparent.

But who should you vote for? I certainly have my opinion on which candidate I feel is the most capable, however that is not the reason for this post. Instead, I am more concerned with the millions of voters who actually cast votes for candidates that they know nothing about. Now sure, I am all for “get out and vote” mantra that is sweeping the nation, but what if those voters have no idea what they are really voting for? Should we encourage this reckless behavior?

I’m assuming that most people have done their due diligence of researching the candidate that they support and will eventually vote for. However, after speaking with a variety of friends and acquaintances I have alarmingly realized that many of these folks don’t really have a solid understanding as to why they support a particular candidate.

Who is to blame? The media? Many Americans do not seek to understand anything beyond what is spoon-fed to them via the media. This idea has been exemplified throughout the road to election day. For some people the media has erroneously shaped their view of the candidates. As a result, those same people form an opinion of a candidate based on what they saw or heard on tv. This unfortunately leads to uninformed votes being cast.

So, if you’re going to vote this year (which I hope you do) please, please, please dig a little deeper into the background and beliefs of the candidate that you support. You might just learn something that will change your outlook on the election. You owe it to yourself and your fellow Americans. After all, this is the “most important election ever”….

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