IT’S ELECTION TIME, AND WITH IT COMES THE PUBLIC SERVICE SPOTS AND editorials urging you to exercise your right to vote. Allow me to add my voice:
Don’t.
That is, don’t vote unless you really want to. If you haven’t taken the time to learn about the candidates and the issues, and if you really don’t have a strong feeling one way or the other, please, sit it out.
Leave the election to those of us who have made the effort to be informed, or who at least care.
True, every vote counts, but not for much. Here’s a little secret: If you don’t vote, nobody will notice. In fact, most people don’t vote, so you’ll hardly be alone.
Some observers rightfully worry that low voter turnout is a sign of apathy, cynicism or alienation. On the other hand, it often is a sign of nothing more than contentment. Many Americans don’t feel that what happens at the ballot box will have a major impact on their lives. Come the election, they have better things to do. The highest voter turnout occurs in troubled countries where who wins and who loses can determine whether you eat or breathe. Regardless of what Bush and Gore have been warning, nothing so dire is at stake for the American people in this election.
So count your blessings, and if you don’t feel like voting, then don’t vote. It’s the American way.
