Vote or Die!

“Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”
-George Bernard Shaw

Tomorrow is election day and much has been said about tomorrow’s election: who you should vote for or whether to vote yea or nay on that important referendum, but the most important message has been to get out and vote.

The U.S. Constitution has 4 amendments that address voting rights; the fifteenth, nineteenth, twenty-fourth, and twenty-sixth amendments. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the federal government and the states from using a citizens’ race, color or previous status as a slave as a qualification for voting. The Nineteenth Amendment extends the right to vote to women. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment prohibits the federal government and the states for requiring the payment of a tax (poll-tax) as a qualification for voting in federal elections. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment essentially sets the minimum voting age in federal elections to 18.

What’s important to note is that voting is the only topic which has four amendments that address it; that in itself is enough to suggest that the Framers, Congress and the American people believe that voting is “kind of a big deal.” Many people gave their blood, sweat and tears for a right many of us take for granted. Many of us cry and complain about the Democrats doing this, or the way Republicans do that, or the scandal this elected official was just accused of, but yet don’t take measures to prevent or change this by voting.

By law, employers are required to allow you time to vote. Now that doesn’t mean they have to give you a two hour lunch break to go to your local polling site. What it means is, if your work hours fall during a time when the polls are open, but they do not allow you time to actually vote, your employer should allow you to come late or leave early to vote.

Voting is a right but we should view it as a duty. We should feel obligated to go vote for the officials representing our interests in Congress. We should feel obligated to go vote on the proposed amendments to our state’s constitution. We should feel obligated to exercise a right as precious as voting. No other right is mentioned as often or protected as heavily in the Constitution as voting; not freedom of speech, not freedom of religion, not even freedom from slavery.

I’m not going to get on my soapbox and preach to you about who you should vote for, what party truly represents your best interests and what numbers to punch tomorrow in the voting booth if you haven’t done so already. What I will say is, if you haven’t voted already please get up a little early, make time in the middle of your day, or at the end of your day and let your voice be heard by voting. We speak up by voting, and the more of us that vote, the louder are voices are. So tomorrow go SCREAM and Rock the Vote! Stay Up and Be Blessed!