Blog the Vote - Why Every Citizen Matters

When I was visiting my mother a few weeks ago she told me that the "seniors" she knew weren't going to vote this year. She asked, "What's the point?" Since then I've heard many people suggest that their votes don't count, their voices aren't heard, and that they just don't matter. You know what? THEY'RE ALL WRONG. Before I explain why, here's a bit of a history lesson. Forgive me please, I'm a teacher.

Question - What does the Constitution say about voting rights?
Answer - Actually, there is no right to vote in the United States Constitution. However, a number of amendments to the Constitution have made provision for this right in circumstances where it had been denied.

Fifteenth Amendment (Ratified on February 3, 1870) - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Even though the 15th amendment was ratified in 1870, it took passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African Americans in the South were actually registered to vote. For years states in the south used literacy tests, poll taxes, and other means to prohibit and disenfranchise large numbers of African American voters.

Nineteenth Amendment (Ratified on August 18, 1920) - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

It took decades in which suffragettes marched, wrote, picketed, lobbied, spoke, and protested before they were granted the right to vote. At the time, many in America considered this amendment to be a radical change to the Constitution.

Twenty-fourth Amendment (Ratified on January 23, 1964) - The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

Should your financial circumstances determine your eligibility to vote? At the time this amendment was passed the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia were still using poll taxes as a means to exclude African American voters and extend the practice of segregation.

Twenty-sixth Amendment (Ratified on July 1, 1971) - The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Imagine you live in a world where you can be drafted to fight for your country, yet aren't afforded the opportunity to vote. That's the position young people found themselves in during the Vietnam War when the voting age was 21. This amendment has the distinction of being ratified in the shortest period of time, only 107 days after its proposal.

It took people from all walks of life many long years of fighting for what was right to ensure that all Americans are entitled to vote. I cannot and will not take for granted the privilege their hard work won for me. The law of this land can only take us so far. If we wish for our "government of the people, by the people, for the people" to serve us well, we MUST exercise this right and see it for the solemn responsibility it is.

It is easy to become complacent and believe that one vote, one voice doesn't matter. But when those missed votes and voices are added up, important and diverse groups in our society are left out. For many, many years voting was a right afforded to privileged white men. We have a come a long way since those days, but we still have a long way to go. Every voice, every opinion matters. We cannot move this country forward without the thoughtful participation of ALL our citizens, young and old, male and female, partisan and non-partisan.

On November 6th I will fulfill my civic responsibility. I will wait in line, no matter how long, and cast my ballot. I will wear my "I Voted" sticker to work. At the end of the day I will come home and spend the evening watching history unfold. No matter the outcome, I will be proud that I participated.  Won't you join me?

You can read what others have to say about the importance of voting at Blog the Vote 2012.

The Best Post I've Read Today

I am a regular reader of the Core Knowledge Blog. Today I read some of the most inspiring words about voting. Here is an excerpt.

Here’s hoping that our young people have been well-served by the adults entrusted with their education, so that they appreciate the ideals of our democracy and the sloppy miracle of this day. May their knowledge of history be deep enough to allow a little bit of awe–and a large amount of pride–to witness a handover of power marked by passion, but not by tanks in the streets and flights into exile.

Go now and read the entire post (it's short). You'll be glad you did.

10 Minutes to Make a Difference

Ten minutes. That's all it took to participate. I was prepared to stand in the rain. When I arrived at the polls just after 7 am, more than 200 people had already voted. The line was long, but once I learned that there were lines for folks with last names I-P and Q-Z, I walked right up to the registration table. (This is the one occasion for which I am grateful for my hyphenated name, and glad not to be in that long A-H line!) I checked in and was ushered immediately to a voting machine.

It was simple. It was humbling. It was necessary.

I voted today. Will you? Don't miss this opportunity to have your voice heard. Please vote.

Blog the Vote - My Right and Responsibility

I voted in my first presidential election in 1984. That's me over there. At the time I was a cadet at the United States Coast Guard Academy. I voted by absentee ballot with quite a bit of ambivalence. I was excited to be participating in my first "real" election, but felt very uncomfortable with the notion of voting for or against the man who at the time was my Commander in Chief. Not wanting to seem or feel disloyal, I voted for Ronald Reagan.

Having been a spectacularly bad cadet, I found myself four years later as a classroom teacher in Buffalo, New York. When the 1988 presidential election rolled around I took my civic responsibility seriously. I learned about the candidates and made an informed choice. One thing I didn't do, however, was share my views or vote with my students. I've behaved this way ever since then.

It's been a long, long road to the final days of this election, and I haven't blogged about the candidates, the economic crisis, or politics in general. Even though I now teach at the college-level, I take my position of authority over my students very seriously. They may be adults, but they are still impressionable enough to be influenced by the opinions of others, particularly their professors. I certainly know they're influenced by my ideas. Do students read my blog? Maybe. As a result, I don't talk politics here or in my classroom, largely because I feel that it serves as an abuse of my position. My job is to prepare the most thoughtful, creative, caring, well-prepared teachers I can. It is not to produce teachers who think and act like me.

On Tuesday I will head to the polls. I expect I'll wait in long lines. While I'm there I will think about all those who fought so hard to secure MY right to exercise this most basic of freedoms. Remember that female citizens in the United States did not have the legal right to vote until the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. After its passage, the Presidential election of 1920 marked the first occasion where women across the United States were allowed to exercise their right to vote.

On November 4th I will fulfill my civic responsibility. I will cast my vote. I will proudly wear my "I Voted" sticker to work. And I won't tell you who I voted for.

**A Bit of History**

There is no right to vote in the United States Constitution, though amendments to the Constitution have made provision for this right in circumstances where it had been denied.

Fifteenth Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Nineteenth Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Twenty-fourth Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

Twenty-sixth Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

The law of the land can only take this country so far. If we wish for our "government of the people, by the people, for the people" to serve us well, we must exercise this right and see it for the solemn responsibility it is. Please cast your ballot on November 4th and let your voice be heard.

You can read what others have to say about the importance of voting at Blog the Vote 2008.

Have You Read THIS?

Have you read Colleen Mondor's Blog the Vote post? If not, get thee to Chasing Ray. It's all about teaching and making a difference--precisely the kind of story I love. You'll love it as well.

If you want to read more about this Blog the Vote event, read the stunning piece entitled Faces in the Crowd.

Since I can't comment there (I just don't want to register for yet another site), I'm doing it here. Bravo, Colleen! Thanks for sharing your story and wisdom.

GO. NOW. AND. READ!