• Why is it important to vote?

Question

• Why is it important to vote?

Answer 1

Commander Bond (cmdrbnd0) nailed it.  Those who founded the United States envisioned a society based on civic participation, which is vital to the health of any democracy.  I would only add that voting is important (and I think this was Seano's point) insofar as the citizenry is educated, informed, and interested in the process.

Answer 2

If you don't vote, you haven't made your voice heard.  If you don't participate in the process, you have no right to complain about how people are running the government.  Simple as that.

Answer 3

It's important to vote because we have the opportunity and the privilege to do so. There are too many people in the world who have no say in who runs their government, and would cherish the opportunity too many of us take for granted.

Questions to Seano: So there are too many "stupid people" that shouldn't be voting.  How do we set the criteria as to who is smart enough and who isn't, and who is to determine the criteria? Is it a perceived lack of intelligence that you're grousing about or opinions that are different from your own? Do you consider anyone who hasn't completed at least 4 years of college to be worthy of exclusion? Is a person from a rural area of the South with a religious background and a vocational school degree good enough for your standards? How about a legal immigrant who has passed the citizenship test but has occasional trouble reading and understanding some English text? Are people from urban school systems with subpar graduation and testing records below your benchmark? Or people who are voting a different party ticket than you? The way people vote may not always please us, but that is the democratic system. Volunteer for your favorite candidate or issue if you want to influence others' opinions and persuade them as to your point of view. Limiting voting rights would start the country down another dangerous path. We have enough of our rights being threatened at this time.

*I hope this response isn't considered spam.*

Answer 4

It is your only voice in the political process. If you don't vote you have no say in how the country is being run.

Answer 5

I don't think its important for everyone to vote!

There are far too many stupid people who are not capable of making an informed decision and I don't want my future and that of the country decided by knuckleheads!