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MONDAY: Opinion
TUESDAY: Politics
WEDNESDAY: Opinion
THURSDAY: Politics
FRIDAY: Opinion
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editorials, letters, commentary and perspective
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Voting is a duty, not powerful privilege
OPINION
Your vote next week may
not make a difference, but
it’s still an important part of
living in a democracy
t’s been said over and over. Your
vote makes a difference. No other
slogan has been used as frequently
JLto inspire people to go out and vote
as this one. It just wouldn’t feel like
election time without hearing some
one tell you your vote can make a dif
ference. “Rock” the vote, make a differ
ence, change the world and vote. The
entire rationale for voting today hinges
on the assumption that your vote really
can make a difference. If that is the rea
son we do vote, it is sad to note that the
statement is an absolute lie.
Your vote won’t make a difference,
no matter how badly you want it to.
This may be hard to believe after being
told it does for so long, but deep down
inside we all know it’s true. Your vote
won’t change the future of our country;
it won’t even have an effect on it. In
fact, if you were to stay home and not
vote in this election, the outcome
would be the same as if you had voted.
If you find that hard to accept, think
about it for a while. Even at the most lo
cal level, there are thousands of people
voting, and the odds of an election
coming down to your one vote are so
small they aren’t even worth mention
ing. In fact, if you were not to vote in
the next 100 elections, there would be
no change in the course of events.
That’s not just an opinion. It’s a mathe
matical fact. No election is decided by
one vote. If your vote has no effect on
the outcome of an election, how can we
say with a straight face that your vote
can make a difference? In reality, any
one who tells you your vote can make a
difference is either ignorant or lying.
Of course there is a common re
sponse to this kind of thinking: what if
everyone thought that way? If every
one did think that way and decided
not to vote, sure, your vote would
make a difference. That point is only
valid, however, in theory, because in
reality everyone doesn’t think that
way. You have to be pretty naive to re
ally expect nobody to show up and
vote in the next election. Even if only
50 percent of Americans vote in the
upcoming election, that will surely be
enough to ensure your vote will have
no impact on the election’s outcome.
People are going to vote on election
day—enough people so that your vote
won’t have an impact—and that’s the
bottom line.
If your vote really doesn’t make a
difference, you might as well stay
home come election time, right?
Wrong. There’s a very important rea
son why you should vote, and it has
nothing to do with making a differ
ence. It has nothing to do with chang
ing the world, rocking the vote or any
of those things. It has everything to do
with responsibility. The reason you
should vote is because it is your re
sponsibility as a member of a democra
cy to do so.
Living in a democratic government
is not a free privilege. In return for the
freedoms we enjoy, we are required to
give something back, and that some
thing is voting. The one real responsi
bility democracy demands of us is that
we involve ourselves in the political
process, even if only by casting our
vote once a year. When you think
about it, the only real difference be
tween a democracy and a dictatorship
is that once a year we have to vote for
our leaders. It is wrong to think of vot
ing as a privilege; it’s a duty. Those
who choose not to vote are failing to
fulfill their duty. They are soaking up
the rights and freedoms democracy
provides without paying the costs.
By voting every year, you fulfill your
end of the bargain. You reaffirm that
you accept the democratic process and
the responsibilities that come with it. If
there is a danger in people not voting,
it is not toward the outcome of a partic
ular election, it is toward the future of
our government. By failing to cast your
vote, you are basically saying you
would be just as happy living under a
dictatorship as a democracy. By failing
to fulfill your duty to vote, you are giv
ing up any right to the freedoms you
now enjoy.
In the upcoming election, millions
of Americans will no doubt choose not
to vote because they don’t think they
can make a difference. While they are
correct in their reasoning, they are not
excused. Voting is important, not be
cause it makes a difference, but be
cause it is our obligation. If we really
believe in a democratic government,
we have no excuse for staying away
from the ballot box.
Brian Diamond, a sophomore
majoting in journalism, is a columnist
for the Emerald. His views do not
necessarily represent those of the
newspaper.
CORRECTION
The photo of
Peter Bartel, a
candidate for
Lane County
Commissioner,
printed in the
Oct. 29 issue of
the Emerald was
incorrect. The
photo was actu
ally Peter Soren
son. The Emerald
regrets the error.
.s\ -
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LETTERS
Nader independent
Many people do not know
Ralph Nader. He’s been a con
sumer advocate for the last 30
years, and now he’s running for
president. He’s honest and persis
tent, and if he gets elected, it will
be by the people — not the corpo
rations.
Both the Republican and De
mocratic parties are equally as
guilty for allowing corporations to
gain too much power by permit
ting them to make huge private
donations for public campaigns.
U.S. citizens have very little con
trol over the quality and manage
ment of the public resources we
all have rights to: land, air and
water. These days, if someone
wants to elect a politician who
will give them a break on environ
mental regulations as well as tax
es, they can do it with enough
money.
Nader and his running mate,
Winona LaDuke, may not win
this election. However, this is a
campaign that builds on the fu
ture. People must choose if they
will vote with their hearts and
conscience or with their fear. If
we believe there is a problem
with our arrangement of govern
ment, then we must choose an al
ternative solution to the “republo
crat” duopoly that exists now. As
Nader says, “if you work at the
root of the tree, it’s more likely
that the fruits will come.” If you
support Nader but plan to vote for
Clinton anyway, you are consent
ing to the corporate influence of
government which is growing and
must be ended.
Robin Retherford
Eugene
Clinton vs. Dole
All can agree that President
Clinton and Bob Dole have their
differences. Unfortunately, many
can't see beyond the age. Some
people even say that one is a bet
ter speaker than the other. But
those are shallow, narrow-mind
ed reasons to vote for the next
U.S. president.
Instead, a vote should be deter
mined by what kind of person
you are and which candidate rep
resents you best.
Clinton has said during the
campaign that he believes that “as
the president, I am responsible for
taking care of you” and “we, as a
nation, can be led under my lead
ership toward a future and no one
will be left behind.”
Dole, on the other hand, says he
wants to “cut taxes and make gov
ernment pinch pennies so that
Americans can keep more of their
earned money and build their
own futures.”
So despite character or past
scandals both candidates may
have been involved in, the vote
comes down to whether you are a
follower or a leader. I challenge
anyone to dispute this. After de
ciding what you are, then you
should choose who you want to
roll the dice on.
John Eccleston
Eugene
LETTERS POLICY
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