Election Day in the USA!

I have a million things I want to say about Election Day, but I'll try to be brief, as I want to get to sleep somewhat early so I can wake up tomorrow and vote.

Firstly, if you are over 18 and a citizen of this country, you better vote, or you really don't deserve to live here. Is that harsh? Maybe. But it's the truth. Since this country's inception, lots of people sacrificed so much so that you could have that privilege, and if you waste it, then you are essentially slapping our founding fathers in the face. I hear the argument, "But I don't know who to vote for... they're all the same." Well, in fact, they're not. If you think hard enough about it, then I'm sure you can think of more than a few differences between the candidates that might affect you, especially this year. I don't think that any one candidate is perfect, and for most of the presidential elections I've voted in, I was simply voting for the lesser of two evils, but still... there is a difference. And if you don't like the Democrats OR the Republicans, vote for a third party. There are plenty on the ballot. If you don't vote, be prepared to be silenced for the next 4 years, because I don't think anyone who forgoes voting should be able to complain. Sitting out voting only says to me (and a lot of other people) that you obviously didn't care enough to weigh in when you were able, which is pathetic.

If you are a woman, vote. Women in our country only recently (relatively speaking - less than a century ago) gained the right to vote. They fought for that right, and if you don't vote, you might as well go back to being the silent sex. Maybe women's issues are important to you. Perhaps you'd like to be in control of what happens to your own uterus. Vote. If you are African American, you have had the unopposed right to vote even less time than women. If you care at all about what your ancestors had to go through to gain this right for you, vote. Don't negate everything they sacrificed and struggled for.

And for the love of God, do not vote on one issue alone. Look at the whole package. What will this candidate do for you? For our country? Ask questions, and apply some logic to decide if what they're saying is feasible. Voting is a responsibility that we as citizens should proudly and seriously execute, and not something to be taken lightly or put off entirely. Do some research on the candidates, figure out what their proposed policies are. Note: your neighbor does not count - I've heard the most random and inaccurate drivel passing as fact because "(my mom, my neighbor, my church, my dog, etc) told me this was true". Take a little initiative and look up the facts, both for the presidential candidates and your local candidates as well. Go to the polls informed, and do the country proud.

I have very strong opinions about who I want to win this presidential race, but I won't go into that here and now because I the point of my post is simply to remind people of how important the right to vote is. Those who know me probably know who I'm voting for, but even if you don't agree with me (and a few of my friends don't), I think you should vote anyway. The whole point is that we are all different, and should all have equal opportunity to weigh in our opinions on how we'd like to see this country turn.

So, I'll wrap this up now, and will be crossing my fingers that change is on the way!