Voting

Here is the view from my voting machine.  

 

In the process of being only one of about five folks voting, all easily over 65 and two in a wheelchair, I began to think about why I vote or feel like I should vote.  Where are the other 85% of the registered voters who are not likely to vote in the primary?

Do we really live in a democracy?  What form of government do we have?  Does my vote count at all?  If the country will survive into the future, do we really need to vote?

We live in a democracy but our form of government is a republic.  We vote for candidates who represent us and make decisions for our collective benefit, or not.  The ballot also has measures allowing us to vote and the total number of votes determines whether it passes or fails.

The bigger this country gets, the less I feel my vote counts.  The more polarized the country becomes, the more alienated I feel.

Simply said though, without voting for the candidates and the measures, I would feel like I had no right to complain about the outcomes.