Hey, don't feel bad about not voting. I mean, it's not like people died so you'd have that right. There weren't marches, and campaigns, and suffering, and dying, so you could exercise the right to choose your representitives.
Oh wait, they did, and there were.
I admit, I'm feeling pretty self-rightous because I did vote today. I only took two, maybe three, total hours of reading time on the local county election board's site, and the League of Women Voter's guide, in the past two weeks to get informed. That's really a little time commitment for how important it is.
If you think you're driving change, or sending any kind of message to the establishment by not voting, I think you're deluding yourself.
All rationalizations aside, you didn't vote, and you can't complain.
Well, no, that's not strictly true.
You can bitch and moan all you want. knock yourself out.
However, since you've refused the chance to directly affect what happens, no one with any sense would listen to you do said bitching.
It's very simple.
Are representatives that you didn't vote for representing you, the non-voter? Yes, much like a shepard herds sheep, they are.
To an earlier comment :
You do, of course, have the right to complain about those you elected. You earned that right by fufilling your obligation to make a choice for them to represent you. By exercising that choice, you earn the right to bitch, complain, praise, etc.
Refusal to act is not a statement, it's not an act of defiance, it's a big nothing. It's a failure to do one of the few things your coutnry actually relys on you, the citizen, to do.
Your agreement is not required for the truth, to remain the truth.
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Change of subject for our TFP members askin' "What up in the US today?"
In the great state of Ohio, I give you a recap:
There are five statewide issues on the November 8 ballot.
Full Summary of those issues here.
In the 2005 General Election, Ohio voters will also elect:
# Mayors
# Members of city and village councils
# Members of boards of trustees of public affairs (in some villages)
# Other city and village officers
# Judges of municipal courts (some jurisdictions)
# Clerks of municipal courts (some jurisdictions)
# Township trustees and clerks
# Members of boards of education
# Members of educational service center governing boards
# Unexpired terms for municipal and township offices and boards of education
Ohio's 88 counties also have a total 2,074 local questions and issues on the ballot.
Those local questions and issues cover lots of things. Like, "Can The Olive Garden Restaurant at this address sell alchohol?" All sorts of things, liqour sales hours, refuse contracts with cities, etc.
Depending on where you live, there's a lot, or few, of these "little" issues.