To Vote or Not To Vote? (It's really not a question.)

I would just like to take a moment to refute something I heard some hipster chick in my hall say today, which was, "I'm pretty sure the point of living in a democratic nation is that we all have the right to choose whether or not we vote."

Now. I'm not sure if this is a common misconception or if this girl (did I mention she's a hipster?) just wants to feel special and draw attention to herself, but either way--it's wrong.

Americans have the coveted right to vote, that small contribution to our politics and influence as a country. This right is an enormous privilege that I'm not sure a lot of the people of my age group understand, for our decisions as the People of America have global ramifications--but it's also a duty. There's that old epithet, "With great power comes great responsibility"--and the right to vote in American elections is, though it may often not feel like it, a great power that many people have worked hard to earn. Do you know what it takes to become a citizen of this country? As the daughter of a naturalized British-American, I know it's tough. And most of us here were born into that advantage. Wow.

Personally, I feel like I owe it to the world to vote. Even though, as a Democrat in a red state, my vote will just add to the electoral college reject pile and barely make a ripple in the actual decision. Still, it's worth a shot.

But see, there's more to it than that--voting just isn't enough. Whoever's name you check in all those little boxes on the ballot, you should know who they are, know what the choices you make mean. You should educate yourself, because there is no pride in ignorance when that ignorance is inexcusable. With the internet at your fingertips (hey, you're sitting there reading this blog), your reasons for not knowing the issues dwindle. Ultimately, the only answer is your own laziness.

Now, I get it. I've heard all the whining about how much politics suck and how all the candidates are insincere and lazy and insane. Sometimes that's true. If you want to avoid the whole thing because it's scary or stupid or mainstream or the whole world sucks except your enlightened self--fine. But the reality is that someone is going to sit in the White House, someone is going to go to Washington to represent you, and someone we elect this season is going to, at some point, have an effect on your life.

If anyone still thinks voting is a waste of their time, that's their problem. But until the next election, they kind of forfeit their right to complain about politics.

So vote. Or don't. But seriously, vote.