THE CIVIC DUTY NOT TO VOTE
What every ignorant citizen should know about voting
By JUSTIN EELLS
Clarion Opinion Editor
On Election Day, I overheard an interesting conversation. Person A was asked which candidate he was gong to vote for, to which he responded, “I’m not voting.” When person B asked him why he would not vote, he said, “Because I don’t think I’m responsible and I don’t know anything about politics.” Good answer.
Of course, there is nothing commendable
about ignorance, but if you choose ignorance, there are certain responsibilities that come with that choice. To vote based on which candidate
one’s family or friends are voting for, based on mindless party loyalty, on a hunch, or at random is an abomination to the democratic process.
Democracy works with a well-informed populace. It is the civic duty of every citizen in a democratic society
to stay informed, and to use that information in exercising one’s right to vote. Both of these responsibilities are, of course, optional. One does not have to vote, and if one chooses to vote, the voting decision does not have to be based on anything.
Many Americans choose to take full advantage of this choice. The voter-eligible population turnout rate for the recent Wisconsin primaries was 36.5 percent. This shows a high rate of complacency, but what is more disturbing is the lack of information among those who do vote.
It is truly amazing how many blank stares I have received when I have asked people why they were voting for their candidate of choice. In addition, many voters justify their voting decisions by a candidate’s position on one issue.
Voting is not a civic duty unless it is accompanied by knowledge of each candidate’s positions on all of the issues and a logical process of determining
which is the better choice. Casting an ignorant vote is like rolling
dice to determine our nation’s future.
It turns the democratic process into a childish game. The citizen’s responsibilities
to be informed and to vote are all or nothing.
Either do both or do neither. If you voted in the primaries and don’t know why you voted the way you did, I ask you, for the sake of America, to do one of two things: either follow the news and get informed before November, or please, do your civic duty as an uninformed citizen and abstain from voting. |
