10 Reasons Why You Should Vote

It’s Election Day! If you’re registered, but you haven’t already voted and you’re on the fence about whether it’s worth the time and aggravation, here are ten quick reasons why you should head to your polling place and cast your ballot:

1.     People have fought and even died to get and maintain your right to do so.

Sorry to start heavy. But the whole reason we have the United States of America to begin with is because, nearly 250 years ago, a bunch of people in thirteen British colonies were tired of paying taxes to a government that refused to let them choose their leaders. That was only the first of many times that soldiers gave their lives in battle to ensure liberty for their fellow countrymen.

Getting and maintaining your vote came at a cost, in the 1770s and the 1860s and the 1940s and beyond. The least you can do to honor the memory of the soldiers, abolitionists, suffragettes, and civil rights leaders who fought, bled, and died to give you a vote is to use it.

2.     FOMO.

The only thing anyone will be talking about on TV and social media tonight will be the election. If you don’t want to feel left out, you’ll need to have voted earlier that day.

3.     It’s biblical(ish).

Admittedly, this requires some interpretation, since there is no “thou shalt vote” commandment in the Bible. But what Jesus did say was “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” A veeeery narrow reading of that command is that you should pay your taxes. A more generous (and, in my opinion, better) interpretation is that, while you are first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of God, you are also a citizen of your nation, and that you have duties to that nation. In a democracy like ours, one of those duties is to vote.

4.     It’ll make the old people in your life happy.

As a general rule, senior citizens are worried about what kind of nation their grandchildren will inherit and what their grandchildren’s generation will do with it. So an easy way to encourage them is by showing up to the polls. I promise, the little old ladies volunteering at your local precinct beam every time they give a millennial an “I Voted” sticker, and every grandparent, elderly church member, and retired neighbor you know will do the same.

5.     As civic duties go, it doesn’t take that long.

Thanks to the Internet, researching candidates is a LOT easier than it used to be. I recommend relying on interviews and endorsements from your local newspaper rather than the obviously and understandably biased websites of the candidates. If you do your due diligence, I bet you can have your ballot figured out in an hour or so, and then probably won’t have to spend longer than an hour at the polls (depending on when and where you go.)

Sure, 2 hours is inconvenient. But it’s faster and easier than jury duty, paying your taxes, serving in the military, or basically any other civic duty. Also, see #1.

6.     It’s the most direct way to make your voice heard by your local, state, and national officials.

Sure, calling/e-mailing/writing your congressman is a good thing. Going to a town hall or a protest is a good thing. Blogging, posting, and retweeting your political opinions can *occasionally* be a good thing. But politicians can ignore all those things. What they can’t ignore is the votes of their constituents.

7.     If you don’t, someone in your life will shame you for it.

Consider this sort of the negative side of #2. There is someone in your life, whether a parent, sibling, or friend, who’s really into politics and government. And if they find out you didn’t vote, get ready for an annoying lecture or at least a withering death glare.

8.     Your vote matters (especially locally).

Look, I get it—sometimes your vote can seem meaningless, especially if you don’t live in a swing state/county/district. But particularly when it comes to those down-ballot races for school board or mayor or district attorney, races are sometimes decided by dozens of votes, not millions. Do your part.

9.     You feel good when you do it.

There aren’t many things left that bind us together as Americans in our hyper-polarized society. But thanks to the secret ballot, when you walk out of the voting booth, you feel connected to everybody else at your polling place, and to everybody on social media posting their “I Voted” selfies, and to the lady at the grocery store with her “I Voted” sticker—you don’t know how they voted, but you know they did, and now you have that in common with them. And knowing that makes you feel like part of something bigger than yourself.

10. You get a sticker!!!

It’s the ultimate participation trophy, worn with pride by 18-year olds and 98-year olds alike. But you don’t get one unless you participate. So go vote!