Vote Niche

That’s a phrase that’s often heard from celebrities and nobodies when things aren’t going their way politically. “This country is going down the tubes, and there’s nothing I can do about. I’m leaving.”

They are, of course, wrong on both counts. First, they never leave; they hang around and complain. Second, there is something they can do. Actually, there are lots of things they can do. The simplest action is to vote.

In the last 35 years, voter turnout (percentage of eligible voters) for elections has ranged from a low of just over 38% (1986 & 1998) to a high of just over 60% (2004). [1] Less than half the people with a voice are stepping up to speak. Within this group, the psychology of voting factors into play. Voters on the extreme ends of the spectrum (both conservative and liberal) are more likely to vote than those in the middle. Those who wish for stronger government control are more likely to vote than those who want less government control (the latter tend towards a “live and let live” attitude).

Of those who do vote, the categories in which they vote are “top-heavy”. Almost everyone votes for a Presidential candidate (in Presidential elections). Fewer people vote for Senators and Representatives. At the state level, the Governor’s seat gets more votes than the state Congressional seats. Mayors, coroners, city council members, school board members, zoning board members, and judges (in those states where they are elected). Yet it is these “lesser” positions which have a more direct impact on the greater part of our lives. It is also these “lesser” positions that set the tone for “higher” governmental bodies.

<blockquote>powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.</blockquote>

This is the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. This is the Supreme Law of the land. One of the effects of this Amendment is that states have the right to tell the federal government “This is none of your business; we’re going to do what we believe is right.” Counties, parishes, cities, towns, and villages set the local tone which tells the states how they should act. Your vote for Mayor of Anytown USA (pop. 4321) sends a message “up the line” just as much as your vote for the President does–maybe even more.

This is the foundation of VoteNiche. We are hear to promote the “smaller” voices of government because we understand that local politics is the foundation upon which our nation was built. As Abraham Lincoln reminded us, our government is supposed to be “of the people, by the people, for the people”. Our laws are not supposed to be handed down from above, they are supposed to be a reflection of the concepts and ideals of the people.

You can run away to Canada if you really want to, but you’re not solving anything. You’re just… running away. If you really believe in something, stand up for it. Fight for it. Convince others to fight for it with you.

Your vote may only be a whisper in the wilderness of modern politics, but when one third of a billion people all whisper together, it becomes a shout that echoes across the world.

If you want things to change, change them. The only thing you accomplish by running away is to let the other guy win.

[1] George Mason University (Excel Spreadsheet)

Every grade school student has heard them. Every high school student has used them. Every journalist has them burned into their brains.

5 little words.

Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?

When election day comes, will you have the answers? Do you even understand the questions?

Who?

Who are you voting for? This is a tricky question. Almost everyone will rattle off the name of a candidate or two that they’re going to cast a vote for. But do you know who that person really is? Have you looked past the political ads and the campaign hype? Have you tried to see how this person acts when <i>not</i> in the spotlight?

The other version of the question is “who are you going to vote for… and who are you going to ignore?”  The average ballot has dozens of races listed on it.  Which ones will you actually cast a vote in?  Will you vote for a President, but not mayor?  Will you vote for the school board, but not the senate?

What?

What will you be voting for?  What issues are important to you?  What values do you demand from an elected official?  What is it you stand for and how will your vote reflect that? When you run into a conflict–you’re for a candidate on some issues, but against him on others–which ones take precedence?  What are you willing to sacrifice and what are you not?

What will you be voting for?  The person, the party, or the issues they represent?  If your party nominated a person with whom you don’t agree, would they still get your vote?  If the person you support was a member of a party you oppose, would they still get your vote?

Where?

This may seem like a silly question, but where are you going to vote? (Citizens of Oregon aren’t included in this, since they get to vote from the comfort of their homes).  In the last 2 national elections, there were many stories of people being unable to vote because the polling stations had moved–or the polls had stayed put but the district boundaries had moved.   If you’re going out to vote, make sure you’re going to the right place.

When?

Are you an early bird?  Do you like to get out and vote right away in the morning?  Do you run over during lunch? Or do you wait until after work?  Do the news reports of who’s ahead and who’s behind affect how you vote?

Why?

That’s the big question, isn’t it?  Why are you going to vote?  Or… why <i>aren’t</i> you going to vote?  Why are you going to vote the way you do?  Why do you support the candidates or issues you do?

The answers to this last question aren’t as important as whether or not you <i>have</i> answers.    You have 9 months until the general election.  Take some time and ask yourself some questions.

One of the failings of our current political landscape isn’t the system, it’s the voters–and as a reflection–the candidates.

When discussing political candidates–especially on a national level–the pundits will comment that “Mr. Mendoza, of course, has locked up the Hispanic vote” or “Representative Jones has, of course, locked up the African American vote” or “Ms. O’Hara has, of course, locked up the women’s vote”.

Why “of course”? Why this assumption that a candidate has locked up and entire block of votes? Why this assumption that any group which is identified solely by ethnicity or gender will all vote the same way? Choose any group based solely on a physical or environmental characteristic, and you will find a spectrum of ideologies ranging from liberal to conservative, extreme to moderate. No group speaks with a single voice.

So why do the candidates speak to the groups rather than to the people? Because too many of us are ignoring our ideals and our ideologies and voting for the mirror. People mistake faces for favoritism. “The candidate <i>looks</i> like me, therefore the candidate must want the same things I do.” It’s a foolish and dangerous assumption.

It’s somewhat ironic that back in the days when all the candidates looked alike (wealthy white men), the voters took more time to investigate where the candidates stood and what they planned to do. Now, when the pool of candidates is finally starting to reflect the look and background of the electorate, those same voters are more concerned with the color of a candidate’s skin than what she has to say.

The next 9 months will be filled with campaigns and elections; caucuses and primaries; April elections and November elections; local, state, and national ballots to be cast. You’ll be deciding who gets to choose the textbooks for your 1st grade classes, and who gets to choose the justices for the Supreme Court. Choose them because you believe in them. Choose them because they will help you. Choose them because you see in them the promise of a better country for you, your neighbors, and your children.

Don’t choose them because they look like you. You may find out that the mirror is twisted.