Why Should I Vote?

With the 2008 Presidental Election approaching, you are either excited to vote because you are passionate about politics and/or the possibility of having a woman President, or you are not sure about whether you are going to vote or have decided that you are not going to vote because politics is of no interest to you. When I was in high school, my mindset was the latter. Sure, there were political issues I was passionate about, but I never acted on that passion by getting involved in politics. However, once I was 18, that all slowly changed.

I was 18 just in time for the 2004 Presidental election and like most people my age, I registered to vote. Now the question became, would I vote? I made the decision to vote because after working for the local Re-elect George Bush campaign to earn some money, for which I called constituents asking for their vote and canvassed the neighborhood dropping off Bush propoganda, I felt that my vote did matter. I voted by absentee ballot on election day to re-elect Bush, who obviously won.

You are probably now wondering why I decided to vote to re-elect Bush. I did my research in which I discovered Bush was an advocate of the issues I cared about and working for the Re-Elect George Bush Campaign influenced me. I just did not want to go to the polls and play eenie meenie minnie moe to decide who I was going to vote for; I wanted to go in knowing I voted for someone because I did the research and made an informed decision based on that research.

Since Bushs' re-election, I have voted in a Pennsylvania government election in which my vote helped put both Ed Rendell in office for PA governor and Bob Casey to replace the incumbent Rick Santorum for PA Senator, and in a primary county election for my neighbor Mary Lou Readinger for Plymouth Township Council, who won the primary and will or will not be elected in November. I intend to continue voting.

For those of you eligible to vote in the 2008 election, I highly reccomend that you not only register to vote, but vote in the primaries and election as well. I also encourage you to do research on all the possible costintuents before deciding who you are going to vote for. It is so important that when you go to the polls or vote by absentee ballot, and you press the button or check off the box that corresponds with the candidate you choose, you realize this person is going to be representing you for the next year, two years, four years, etc.

Your vote in the primaries will help decide which Democratic or Republican candidate, depending on which party you register for, will run in November for the presidency. If you are a Democrat and want to see the Republicans out of office, a Republican who wants the Republicans to stay in office, or a woman for Hillary because you realize it is time for a woman president and/or she represents what you stand for, voting in the primary is crucial.

When the primary is over and it is time to vote for the next President, the process starts over again because now you have to choose between the candidate for your party, the candidate for the opposing party, and a ton of independent candidates. After seeing who wins the primaries and doing even more research, you might even decide to change your vote. Either way, your vote will mater.

To find out the date of your state's primary, go to: http://uspolitics.about.com/od/2008elections/a/prez_primary.htm

To register to vote, go to: www.rockthevote.com

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