Saturday Soapbox: On Civic Duty…

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
― John F. Kennedy

Part of why I want to be a writer is to more eloquently express myself on issues I find important.  Unfortunately, as I’m coming to understand writing, the only way to get better at it is to do it ad nauseam.  Once more, here I am, with a need to practice and the perfect excuse to do so.

This week I wish to discuss one of my largest pet peeves with a large swath of modern Americans: Civic Duty.  Now, bear in mind, I’m not some crotchety old man waving at kids to get off his lawn.  I’m a Millennial, and very, very liberal.  That having been said, I have a deep and abiding belief that part of our participation in a democracy centers around the ideal of civic duty.  These are things that we have all agreed upon in order to further the cause of Democratic living and individual freedoms.  In my mind, a healthy democracy is one in which all members are required and encouraged to participate in it’s various aspects.

One of the largest civic duties in any form of democracy is the act of voting.  A vote is one of the most primary ways that men and women in a democracy can participate in the act of regulation and active governance.  California, Washington and Colorado are all amazing examples of this practice in action.  Within the last few years, major ballot initiatives on the subject of legalized marijuana have had extraordinary consequences (by no means all bad) on how Washington and Colorado function.  Regulation, Law Enforcement, and Civil Defense are all affected by the enacted policies, and those policies would not have been possible without the participation of the electorate.  Further, California and Washington both have incredible democratic initiatives by which any measure can be brought before the governed body for a vote.  Now, there are some instances where the internet concept of “trolling” has to be checked, such as when California had to block a vote which would have made it legal to kill members of the LGBTQ community.  Now, that is a rather egregious example, but is also proof of the benefits of a robust checks and balances system.

That having been laid out, the apathy on the part of large blocks of registered voters is disturbing to me.  I understand very well, and will have another week where I discuss in detail, that certain Republican voter “protection” laws are simply disenfranchisement of more vulnerable members of American Society.  That post will be… involved.  Most likely, it will be one I save for when I’ve become more adroit at the process of writing.  I would love nothing more than to drop a 10,000+ word response to such reprehensible practices.  However, not all lack of participation for voting is caused by such practices, but is instead caused by a lack of a collective sense of civic participation.  Voters continually feel that their votes don’t matter, and to a certain extent, the mathematics of a national election carry weight with that argument.  However, the link provided contains an exceptional refutation of that argument, and is further proof that those who feel that their vote does not matter have become disconnected from the sense of community which makes America a country, instead of a collection of Facebook accounts.

We are a nation.  A melding of the peoples of this world, banded together under the stars and stripes.  America isn’t perfect, and there are a lot of things that we can improve.  However, it’s the place we call home, and as such we need to make sure that we are doing what we can to care for that home.  Voting is a critical and essential part of that care.  We need to knit together the fabric of our lives, instead of living within our own echo chambers on social media.  We need to go forth, and express our views with our votes.  Even if you feel that it does not have a purpose, you are not just voting for yourself.  All of the friends and family who exist within your world will see your actions.  They need to see your actions.  They need to see that voting is something that matters.  They need to feel vested in participating in our government, and voting is one of the most fundamental ways to encourage that sense of belonging.  It’s not easy, but things worth doing usually aren’t easy.  Do not lose yourself to apathy.  Take the time, use your voice, and participate in something beyond yourself.