Why I Will Be Voting This November

This election cycle, many Ron Paul supporters are dissapointed, and rightly so. The man that they love and voted for is not on the ballot. I have heard many say that they will not vote, either because they don't believe that there is a candidate worthy of their vote or because they are protesting by voting. Let me address these two reasons.

For those of you who are considering staying home this November because you do not believe that anyone deserves your vote, I urge you to reconsider. Your favorite candidate is not on the ballot, but you have other possible routes. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, is very similar to Ron Paul. You could also write-in Ron Paul. He got over 40,000 write-in votes last time around, and that number will surely increase. Or, you could vote for one of the two major parties, which I don't expect you to do since this is the reason you are considering staying home. Regardless of your course of action, showing up to vote is necessary. Staying home because no candidate is perfect takes yourself out of political activity in America and allows those with different opinions from yours to take over.

On the other hand is those who are protesting by staying home. Please know that that is no form of protest. According to George Mason University, only 62% of eligible Americans voted in the 2008 Presidential election, and that was one of the highest turnouts in recent memory (compare to 2000, which was 55%). Adding yourself to the percentage that does not vote does not signal to the country that you are frustrated with American politics. If it sends any message, it sends the message that more Americans are not paying attention to the direction of the country. The greatest form of protest is voting for who you most closely align with.

In the end, voting is a very important activity. We sometimes forget how great of a privelege it is. The founders, whom we hail as the greatest libertarians, came from a country that was overrun with dictatorship with the thought in mind that there should be a society where the people can peacefully throw their leaders out of power. Now, so many years later, there are still many countries around the world where people are denied a say in their government. So as November approaches, remember that you have the special opportunity to vote, and make sure you take it wisely.