On November 8th, If
You Don’t Know, Don’t Vote
With
this year’s Labor Day weekend in the mirror, we now enter the final stretch of
Election 2016. And as we look forward to
November 8th, I have one request to make of some of you…
Don’t
vote!
I’m
not saying you don’t have the “right” to vote.
I’m saying you have no “obligation” to vote.
This
is a pet peeve of mine. And as we
approach Election Day the government and various government officials will be
using taxpayer dollars and their elected soapboxes to urge everyone to get out
and vote. To the point where many people
will actually feel bullied and shamed into it.
Don’t
fall for it. This year, stand up to the
bullies and tell ‘em to cram it. Stay
home.
Seriously,
if you don’t know the issues and you don’t know the candidates, do us all a
favor and let the better informed citizens among us – from all parties and
philosophical leanings - make the decisions.
Folks,
you know who I’m talking about.
I’m
talking about the people you often see interviewed by late-night comedians for
those “man on the street” interviews.
The kind made famous by Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” segments.
Indeed,
I reviewed a “Best of Jaywalking” video on YouTube for this column, and here
are some examples of various folks who have the right to vote in November’s
election but should resist the temptation…
Leno:
“In what country would you find the Panama Canal?”
Dufus:
“I don’t have a clue.”
Leno:
“Who was the first president of the United States?”
Dufus:
“Benjamin Franklin.”
Leno:
“What was the Gettysburg Address? Have you heard of it?”
Dufus:
“Yes, I’ve heard of it but I don’t know the exact address.”
Leno:
“Who wrote the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin?”
Dufus:
“I couldn’t tell ya.”
Leno:
“What countries border the United States?”
Dufus:
“Australia and Hawaii.”
Leno:
“What does the ‘DC’ in Washington, DC stand for?”
Dufus:
“Da Capital?”
Voting
isn’t just a right. It’s a
privilege. And along with the privilege
comes responsibility. A responsibility
to actually investigate the candidates and educate yourself on the issues
before casting a ballot. An INFORMED
ballot.
Of
course, this being a presidential election year, most people will feel
sufficiently informed on the choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -
and a passel of unelectable third-party and independent candidates.
But
keep this in mind…
Just
because you vote in the presidential race doesn’t mean you HAVE to vote in all
the other races on the ballot – including congressional and state legislative
races. You can vote for president and
leave all the other races blank. There’s
no law that says you must vote for every race on the ballot.
The
simple rule of thumb for a responsible voter should be: Don’t Know? Don’t Vote.
(Mr. Muth is
president of Citizen Outreach and publisher of NevadaNewsandViews.com)
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