voting

Last week in my English class we read an article printed in The Indianapolis Star in 2002 encouraging Americans to vote. According to the article in some age groups over 50% of eligible voters do not vote. I have come across a lot of people in my life, could be friends or co-workers, who for one reason or another do not vote. I can recall even meeting some adults who were not ashamed to admit that they had never voted in their entire life!

Quite frankly I can't imagine what could be worse, the fact that so many Americans don't vote or that they could possibly be encouraged to vote without first knowing the issues which our country is facing. I do not believe that voting is something to be taking lightly. The importance of voting is something which was instilled in me as a very young adult by my father, but just as important as voting was educating yourself on the important issues which could change your daily life. When anyone goes to the polls they are not only voting for a candidate or a particular party; you are voting for or against abortion, for or against the death penalty for example. The list goes on and on.

I am definately not writing this to persuade anyone not to vote. I only want to stress the importance that as a voter I believe we each have a vested interest to first research what may be the issues facing the country today and how they may impact us in our daily lives. By doing this you will then have the knowledge to know where any candidate may stand on any particular issue and be able to make the best choice for yourself. I will get off my soap box now but would encourage everyone to keep up with the Democratic and Republican debates. May the best man, or woman win!