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)