With the presidential election just around the corner, ‘tis the season for unsolicited arguments about political and social issues. Instead of spouting nonsense about why I think people should believe a certain way, I want to share some of my personal reasons for voting, with the hopes that they might give some of you a reason to vote in the upcoming election.
I will vote because I don’t want to live in a world where the earth and its natural resources come second to human greed. It’s a horrifying reality that, even while we are living in a highly developed country, some of our water sources have been contaminated by sediments and gases from drilling and hydraulic fracturing. I want to have a president and a Congress that will help pass legislation to ensure future generations won’t have to worry about whether they’ll have access to clean drinking water or breathable air.
I will vote because I want to have rights to my own body. I do not believe anyone — especially not a bunch of complete strangers in government — should be able to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body, especially in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. I want to be able to choose to go through with a pregnancy or choose to terminate it without the government’s interference, without being condemned by my peers and especially without the argument that it goes against certain religious beliefs that may or may not be my own.
I will vote because it’s not fair that, at this point, it seems human rights have a hard time extending past heterosexual, cisgender white people. If I were to ever have children, I would want them to be able to feel confident in their identity, and I would want them to not be afraid to love whomever they may love. I want my friends and family to be able to walk out of their houses to take a stroll down the street at night and not feel unsafe because of how strangers may react to the color of their skin. I want to help elect people who will make an effort to get a handle on the conflict between citizens and police, because although there are so many great and respectable individuals protecting our citizens, there are also some who abuse their power with violence and fear tactics, and that is not OK.
I will vote because I am scared out of my mind as to what would happen if an extremely close-minded, xenophobic, irrational and unqualified individual were elected to be the Oval Office. I’m afraid that a candidate with a platform fueled by fear and hatred will anger other world leaders and cause extreme conflict. I’m afraid for immigrants living in this country, even those who are here legally, because of the way they have been portrayed as murderers, rapists and terrorists. I’m afraid for women who live in this country, especially when conversations about sexual assault are written off as “locker room talk.” I’ve been to the rallies and experienced firsthand the outright aggression directed toward people who have different beliefs. At the end of the day, I’m afraid for this country as a whole if we allow the embodiment of hatred and ignorance to take office.
Whether you believe it or not, your vote matters. If you are registered, please vote for individuals and policies that reflect what you want our country to stand for. Unsatisfied with the candidates? This is why it’s so important to vote in all elections, not just the big ones. You might be surprised at how different things could be if we voted from the bottom up.
Alexa DeLoera is a UF political science senior. Her column appears on Fridays.
