E
lections are in less than a week. If you are a registered voter, please vote!
Elections are important for the proper functioning of our democratic society. The current state of voter apathy in the U.S. is sad. Only 17.5 percent of Florida’s 11.8 million voters cast a ballot in the August primary.
Voting in state elections is especially important. Their smaller scale can have a more direct influence on constituents. Studying the issues to form an opinion for the sake of being an educated citizen is valuable — just as valuable at 18 as it is at 80 years old.
Commercials, bumper stickers, yard signs and mailers flood the public before every election. The media tsunami can be overwhelming. For some, it may be a turnoff because elections can seem to be a contest for the most publicity and the best smear ads, instead of the best ideas or platform.
However, at the core of it all, there is a candidate who wants to represent the people. Push past all the advertising verging on abrasive and cast your vote.
Furthermore, some people don’t make it through campaign season and to the ballot box because they think their vote doesn’t count. Hear this: Your vote counts. It may not be the deciding vote on an issue because elections are rarely that close, but collectively, votes change things.
In 2000, George Bush had a mere 327 more votes than Al Gore after recounts in the state of Florida, and 6 million people voted.
If all the people who thought their votes didn’t count decided not to vote, our policies and government would most likely look a lot different because our voting pool would be significantly different.
Additionally, there are no presidential candidates on the ballot this year, but state politics, especially Florida politics, can be pretty interesting.
The Florida gubernatorial hasn’t been boring, but some may say it’s been a breeze. The Republican party backs Gov. Rick Scott, and the Democrats support Charlie Crist, who was previously a Republican governor and unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent.
Despite Crist’s political identity crisis, “Fangate” was beyond entertaining. At Broward College on Oct. 15, the second debate between Scott and Crist took place, Scott almost didn’t appear on stage due to the presence of a fan at Crist’s feet. The official debate rules said electronics were not allowed.
Aside from the theatrics, a governor has the potential to pass policies that affect the state. National politics experience a lot of gridlock, but on the state level, bills pass more easily and are more specific to residents. In other words, voting in a state election can have a larger impact on the lives of voters.
If you’re disinterested in the candidates for governor, there are environmental, health and judiciary amendments up for vote. The debate over medical marijuana legalization has been hotly and publicly contested.
Finally, if you are a registered voter but are unsure of the issues, you still have six days to catch up. Ballotpedia.org is an excellent source to read up on the three amendments on the ballot. It offers short but thorough summaries of each amendment, along with the full text.
Every newspaper and television station has been covering the race for governor and other political positions. Turn on the TV or make a quick Google search for The Gainesville Sun or the Orlando Sentinel, read a few editorials and news stories and see which side you fall on.
In no way should politics be downsized to a few quick reads on the Internet, but if you know nothing about the issues or candidates, these things will probably help voters make more educated decisions.
Whether you are voting early, with an absentee ballot or on Election Day, props to you! If you are considering not voting because it seems your vote doesn’t make a difference or the issues just aren’t very important, please, reconsider. If you’re voting but don’t know much about current state politics, do some research before casting your ballot.
To conclude, I have a confession. I am not registered to vote, and I am actually pretty bummed about the whole thing. I got busy, and my registration form wasn’t sent in on time. If anyone understands not voting, it’s me.
However, especially because I can’t proudly bubble boxes at the voting booth for this election, I plead with you, registered voter, to do so.
My last two cents: If you are not registered, go ahead and do so now before you get busy and elections sneak up on you again. I know I will.
Lindsay Alexander is a journalism sophomore. Her columns appear on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 10/29/2014]
