Does Voting Matter?

If you are an American over the age of 18 without a felony, you get the opportunity to vote every two years. This year, we vote for the midterm elections.

Some people feel that their vote doesn’t matter—either there are so many people voting that one vote won’t make a difference, or that the Electoral College is who really decides the president, so they don’t vote. I understand why you might feel that way, I’ve felt it too during previous elections.

The Electoral College doesn’t decide who is president, they take the popular vote from each state and give the electoral votes to that candidate. This, in turn, is suppose to make it more equal so candidates don’t spend all their time campaigning in bigger states like California, New York, or Texas. This, in turn, made Donald Trump the President even though he didn’t win the popular vote. Midterm elections have no electoral college and the candidate that wins the popular vote wins. Same goes for yes’s and no’s on the laws being voted on.

This year could be different, and not because a bunch of celebrities are telling you to vote and who to vote or. This year could be different because in midterm elections, you're voting on local and state issues that effect you on a level you can relate to more than issues the president or candidates for president talk about when they are campaigning.

Hollywood did this two years ago, and now they did it again. A bunch of celebrities got together to preach to us about how we need to vote and who to vote for. (Watch Here)

I don’t believe celebrities should tell you who to vote for. I won’t be telling you who to vote for or even which party my views align with. I believe, as Americans, you have the right to vote, to make up your own mind on the issues, and, if you choose, to not vote at all. That’s your right. And to all the people who say you can’t complain if you don’t vote, they’re wrong. You can choose to not vote and still be upset with how things go in the future, you might even be so upset that at the next election you vote.

Up for vote during the midterms are state governors, Congress, Senate, and local officials. Plus, in Arkansas and Missouri, the topic of raising minimum wage is being voted on. In Michigan, North Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah, the topic of legalizing marijuana, whether medical or recreationally, is at stake. Alabama, Oregon, and West Virginia will be voting on abortion. Each state has their own issues, it’s up to each and every voter to decide if the topic matters enough to vote on it or not.

Your news media wants you to believe that this election will bring a blue wave into office and stop Trump from being able to do what he wants. That could very well be the case, or it could not. It’s really up to the voters.

I highly recommend looking up where each candidate stands on certain issues, don’t just vote based off party. You never know, even though it seems like there is only two parties in the United States, there is really more and you might find you agree more with a completely different candidate and party all together. Who knows this could be the year a third party wins a large number of seats and starts making a difference.

Thank you for taking a minute to read this. Now it is up to you to decide whether or not you want to take a few more minutes going to a poll station and casting your vote. Unfortunately, if you aren’t registered to vote, you missed your chance this year, but in two years we get to decide who will either continue being president or we can pick someone new.