This will be the last post before the election, the mid-terms, as they are called. Regardless of your political beliefs, we’re getting serious in this post. I’ve found two sources who – together – say it all.
From The Borgen Project, Speaking Mainly To The Under-40s.
Their vision and mission statements are simple.
- Vision: “We fight extreme poverty.”
- Mission: “The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. We’re the innovative, national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.”
So, okay. They come from a particular political slant. That doesn’t detract from their reasons why voting is important. They speak particularly to voters under the age of forty, no matter what their politics.
- The Millennial generation accounts for one-third of the electorate.
- Less than 50 percent of eligible young voters ages 18 to 29 cast a vote in 2012.
- 19 percent of all votes cast in 2012 came from young voters.
- In 2012, 4 percent more young women voted than young men.
- Young voters are more likely to support issues such as legalizing same-sex marriage, supporting a pathway to citizenship for immigrants and legalizing abortion than other age demographics. (That’s a slant, but it’s a statistic as well.)
- 40 percent of millennials identify as non-white, making them the most diverse voting generation in history.
- In most communities, the turnout for voting is less than 50 percent.
- Every vote matters. There have been several cases in U.S. history where this has been seen.
- A New Hampshire Senate race was decided by two votes out of 223,363 in 1974.
- A Massachusetts gubernatorial election was decided by two votes out of 102,066 in 1839.
- The Alaskan congressional race was decided by a single vote out of 10,035 cast in 2008.
- Through voting you have the opportunity to influence government.
- In most state and national elections, you need to be registered to vote anywhere from 10-27 days before the actual election. That is why it’s important to regularly check if you are eligible to vote in your district.
From The League Of Women Voters, Speaking To Everyone
Too many people don’t take the opportunity to vote. They stay home because they think their one vote doesn’t make a difference in the government of the city, state or nation where they live. But one vote can make a difference. It’s your right and responsibility to vote and to teach your children to vote, too.
Let’s Do The Math
How important is a single vote? To make the math easy, say 100 people are eligible to vote on an issue:
- If each person registers AND votes, then 51 votes decide the election.
- If only 60 people register to vote (even though 100 people are eligible) and all 60 vote, just 31 votes win the election.
- If 60 people register to vote, but only half (30) of them vote, then it takes just 16 votes to win the election.
- Because many people did not vote, a small group of active voters — just 16 people — controlled the outcome.
Do Your Research
If your “research” consists of “noise” (social media, news broadcasts, newsfeeds, political ads, podcasts and on and on and on) that panders to the right or to the left, without legitimate source data, then stay home on election day.
That wasn’t fair. It’s your right and your privilege to vote, regardless of your knowledge of the issues. But, an informed voter is better prepared to go to that polling place and pick the candidates that can lead our communities, our states and our nation forward.
Find YOUR voice. Find one reason to vote for someone. (Or find one reason to vote against someone.)