HAVE YOU REGISTERED? HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD

 

Voting: Sometimes it feels like tossing a pebble into the ocean and hoping to change the tides – in other words, a wasted effort. Especially if one is voting for a third party, or against the prevailing sentiment.

No matter where one lands on the political spectrum, he or she is sure to feel politically marginalized at one point or another.

However, as citizens of the United States of America, we have a right – a duty, even – to vote whenever ballots show up in the mail. We may not all someday take up arms to serve our country, but at very least we can do this service to ourselves and our democracy.

It is worthwhile to bear in mind that the U.S. is classified as a constitutional federal republic. That definition of our government means that, based in our Constitution, the citizens of this country hold the power to govern it. It may be indirect – that is, through elected representatives – but that hardly diminishes the voice of the people, when the citizenry participates in the governmental processes.

True, there are many flaws in our system, but in the end it is the people’s voice that truly governs. What would be the point of a democracy if the governing body, the voters, did not participate in such governance?

That question is not rhetorical. Voters in America seem to want to stay uninvolved, for whatever reason.

According to Pew Research Center, nearly 87 percent of registered voters voted in the 2016 elections. You may then be asking, “So what is the point of this article?” Well, that is only a percentage of registered voters, which is more likely voting sub-group in the U.S. due to nonmandatory registration and voting rules here.

Only about 59 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential elections, which is slightly less than our peak voter turnout of almost 62 percent in 2008.

A thin ‘majority’

These numbers aren’t alarming. Our Commander-in-Chief is voted on by a majority of eligible citizens; a modest majority, but a majority nonetheless. What might be alarming is the nearly 20-point drop in non-presidential (midterm) elections – held again this year, 2018 – in which turnout consistently hovers right around 39 percent of eligible voters, according to the U.S. Elections Project.

This means that nearly everyone in Washington, D.C., except for our president, and many statewide or local ballot measures, can be  elected or approved by a majority-minority of eligible adults. For perspective, if only 39 percent of eligible voters participate, just below 20 percent of the adult population is deciding that November who takes up congressional seats and what ordinances we must abide by. Even when taking into account the peak presidential turnout of 62 percent in 2008, only about 32 percent of the adult population was involved in putting the head honcho in office.

On the lighter side of things, it is nearly comical that roughly 700,000 people lied to the Current Population Survey, hosted by the U.S. Census Bureau on election years, when asked if they voted in 2016 (reporting that they had). Who knows why?

Midterms important

With the midterm election coming next month, it is more important than ever to register, and more so, to vote. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election (or, more likely, re-election) and a third of Senate seats are up for grabs, as well.

Even though the president has the biggest job in government, it’s important to remember the impact of Congress. The legislative branch makes our federal laws, regulates commerce, controls taxes and the allocation of tax funds, and has the power to declare war. These are big decisions that can and will directly impact public life.

So, while it is important to consider who we put in the oval office, it is also extremely important to cautiously consider whose butts are being put into those congressional seats. It is potentially dangerous to vote on these people without taking into account their views on policy, warmongering, and taxation. Given the internal diversity of party policy and ideals, one should be sure a representative aligns with their own views, rather than simply toeing the party line.

Furthermore, here in Oregon there will be five ballot measures up for a vote, arguably even more important than any federal officeholder/issue because these measures – Measures 102 through 106 – will more directly affect Oregonians.

Get registered

The Oregon-wide registration deadline for the upcoming general elections is this Tuesday, Oct. 16, exactly 21 days before the election, per usual. To register online go to vote.gov. Registration also can be done through the DMV if you are obtaining or renewing any form of ID, or by mail – the form must be postmarked by the 16th, or turned into a county elections office by that day.

We the people should stand united in our heritage and vote for what we believe in, whatever that may be, for a republic is nothing without the public.

Our votes and voices matter, even if they are just pebbles in an ocean.