Goldendale Sentinel Editorial

The tools are there, now get out and vote!

A column by Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor

     You hear the cliché often this time of year, but it is absolutely true: if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
     I remember one year in college I spent an entire semester running around with a friend, making stickers and attending rallies.
     We spent hours standing on the bridge, chanting in unison and waving our signs in the air.
     Then, just after Election Day, I bumped into him on campus and asked how it went. Incredibly, he hadn’t voted. Apparently it had just, “slipped his mind.”
     I was astounded. Yet the situation is not uncommon. Since then, I have run into many people with far more coherent stories than my friend about why they haven’t voted.
     Some don’t like the system, others aren’t well-informed enough. Many more don’t think the candidates merit their vote.
     They got busy, they had to work, they don’t have a car, etc, etc.
     The list goes on and my response is always the same: Pshaw.
     What a bunch of nonsense.
     People in Uganda vote. Now, I know I’ve mentioned this previously, but it is a point lucid enough to bear repeating. This country has one of the most corrupt, broken systems of government on the planet, yet every year, people give it enough faith to turn out to vote.
     What is it that gives them the hope we lack?
     And not just there - other countries that beat the U.S. include Somalia, Uzbekistan, China, Ethiopia, and Venezuela. Are we too spoiled? Too privileged? Too full of self-interest?
     Honestly, I don’t really believe that.
     When I look around, I see people who are hardworking, diligent, and care about their family and friends. Many people here don’t like the way the system works and want better things for their kids.      They want to create a system of laws that coincides with their beliefs and values.
     So why is it, when given the opportunity, so many ignore that chance?
     My father is married to a French woman who will be voting for the first time here this year. Let me tell you, hearing her perspective on U.S. politics is as eye-opening as it is humorous.
     She has now passed the test and, in addition to being able to vote, can rattle off each constitutional amendment by heart, along with an assortment of U.S. trivia. (Go ahead, ask her Taft’s middle name).
     It seems she never thought twice about the option to vote and, in fact, sped up the process to make it in time for this election.
     In another example, Costa Rican employers are required by law to give people time off work. Because booths are limited and transportation is slow, many take the whole day. Yet people do it - it is their obligation.
     The point is, citizens of the world at large seem to have a better grasp on this notion of civic duty. There is no reason we shouldn’t too.
     After a year and a half of spectacles among politicians during campaign season, the final hour has at last arrived. If you look at this page, you will see an array of letters, indicating there is no shortage of opinions.
     We know what we believe; we have all the tools; we know what must be done.
     Now go vote.