No vote, no say

People are still complaining about how their candidate lost or how the winning candidate will run their state or district into the ground. They’re griping about how very disappointed they are in their particular state or district for electing the candidate that it did.

On the other hand, there is the crowd whose candidates were victorious. They still brag about how their candidates won, about how they’re taking back Congress and how real change is on the way.

Neither one of these groups really bother me.

What does bother me are the people in both groups who either whine or brag the loudest and longest but did not actually vote.

Now I understand that voting can be difficult for college students. Those who attend school far from home might have problems obtaining an absentee ballot, and those whose homes are close to campus might still have problems getting to the polls because of work or classes. That I can understand.

What I cannot understand are people who deliberately do not vote. They claim that voting is too inconvenient or is a waste of time. When asked whether or not they voted, the respond that they did not do so with pride. These individuals need to quit their whining and bragging.

Voting isn’t supposed to be fun or convenient. It is a civic duty, one that gives the people a voice in directing its government’s actions. If someone refuses to take less than an hour to either go to the polls or fill out an absentee ballot, they are deliberately withholding their voice from the government and therefore have no place whining or bragging about “their candidate.”

Since these people couldn’t be bothered to vote, the people who represent their states and districts aren’t really even “their candidates” to begin with. They are individuals whom others in their state or district voted to represent them while the non-voters stood by and watched.

To those of you who voted in the past election, regardless of your political affiliations, thank you for doing so. To those who did not vote, whatever your reasons, please vote during the next election. Your voice is vital, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be, because only by sharing our voices can we work to direct the course of this nation.