Does One Vote Matter?

Voting Makes a Difference.

Many of us grew up without any idea what it means to be without official power in government. I'm an American citizen and although I love my voting rights, I have not always used them. There was a period of time when I grew so disgusted with politics that I didn't vote. (It was not too long after the invasion of Iraq, if you're curious.) About a year ago, I returned to voting in every election and am even more convinced that we should all vote.

These young men in the photograph were Civil Rights activists who understood the power of the vote. Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone, right? A big part of why I started this blog was to try and get people engaged with government in a healthy way, to make some noise from the ground up (that's where grassroots movements get their label from). I hope you exercise your right to vote and to feel empowered by good information.

So, Why Does Your Vote Matter?

It matters because every vote is counted and can mean the difference between who represents you at the State or Federal level. In your city and county is matters because you actually get to vote on new laws and whether you want them or not. Here's an example:

California Congressional District 11 Results

Name Party Votes Vote % McNerney , Jerry (i) Dem 88,890 48% Harmer , David GOP 88,262 47% Christensen , David AIP 9,148 5%

The official page is here.

628 votes. Yesterday, on the radio, they reported that the final count was a ninety-something vote difference.

In 1977, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the mayoral election was decided by a single vote.

Every vote counts.

No Taxation Without Representation...the Tea Party Got it Wrong

We do have representation, which is why I find the Tea Party movement an awkward name. We just have crappy representation. Our government is run by our representatives. Of course no one has the time to actually find out everything about all the laws being made, so that's why we hire politicians, lawyers and staff to do the work for us. Politicians are out of touch because we're not talking to them. We tell them what to do, at least, that's how it should work.

"You got the touch! da, danh, da, da, da! You got the power!" anyone else watch Transformers: The Movie (not the new, live action ones, the OG cartoon one) as a kid? That song comes on when Hot Rod stops being a little sissy and opens the matrix to become Rodimus Prime! (man...that could be the most awesome name for so many things...)

Here are some ways you can use your vote:

• Tired of having the same damn people run government? Well, we actually have to vote them out.
• Don't really give a crap, but you REAAALLY don't like a certain politician? Vote for the other politician!
• Choose the lesser of two evils.
• Don't want the Democrats or the Republicans to win? Vote for a random person or write your own name in and vote for yourself!
• You really want someone to win? Vote for them!
• Don't like the way your representative (Senate or House/State Senate or Assembly) is voting? Vote them out!

Hmm...and if the facts don't convince you...well...maybe a hot chick would...

I think we should have a bunch of very attractive people get everyone together for election days.

I love this old school pinup painting style.