The UTD Mercury

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."

-George Jean Nathan (1882-1958)

This morning I read in an alternative news source that Pro-Choice voters could sway the upcoming presidential election.

Funny. Not long ago, college students were going to make all the difference. I could swear a few weeks ago it was Latino voters. At one point, older women were credited with Hillary Clinton's success. Veterans for McCain? Maybe. Will the Hawaiian Islands stand behind their Democratic son? Perhaps.

But, can any one group make all of the difference? Doubtful.

Why not? Because the vast majority of United States citizens don't vote, and even if they did, any one of those segments is not enough to sway the entire election.

As a lot, we are slackers. We have the right to state our opinion in political elections, and yet we can't even be bothered to register for the opportunity.

For proof, visit the Census Bureau's Web site (www.census.gov), and check out the statistics and voting demographics in the hotly contested 2004 presidential election. (Remember? The one where a few hanging chads in Florida made all the difference?)

More than 40 percent of registered voters did not vote in the 2004 election. Registered voters. That's 40 percent of the only 66 percent who were registered. That's pathetic.

Nearly every one of this country's citizens over age 18 is eligible to vote, and yet we don't. And the excuses are endless: work, family, school, play. The real truth is many of us feel uninformed or simply can't be bothered.

Like most of the rights we're afforded in this great nation, the right to vote was fought for - hard fought for. I don't mean for white men - most of them began voting when this country was born - I mean for everyone else.

Though black men have, legally, been able to vote since 1868, when the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution, it wasn't until the Voting Rights Act in 1965 - only 43 years ago - that their rights were assured by the federal government.

Women also had to fight diligently so they could vote. Thanks to the 19th Amendment in 1919 - less than 90 years ago - women can vote today.

Still, we don't.

How disrespectful of us, we modern citizens, to ignore our right - and duty - to participate in this great democratic experience!

Have to work? Your employer may not have to pay you - which is a shame and a whole other opinion piece - but they do have to allow you time to vote. So, that's not an excuse either.

Family obligations? Take them with you. One of the most wonderful sights I have witnessed lately was a daddy and his two little girls in a voting booth while he explained what they were doing and why. Carpool to the voting booth with your family and friends; you can accomplish two goals at once - save gas and pull the lever.

School? Give me a break. Get up, get out and vote. You can find a few minutes in your schedule for a once-in-a-great-while responsibility; especially one so great as helping the nation decide who our next big boss should be.

Play? Don't get me started. You're lucky to have the chance to play in this fabulously rich, fabulously free country. If you would like to continue to be afforded the right to play, go register, bone up, and vote in November.

Don't have enough information? Why not? Start reading, start watching. Decide what matters most to you.

Is it our freedom to say and write and display what we want, the right to have an abortion, the right to worship the god of your choice in the temple of your choosing, is it the right to bear arms - what is it? Figure out which candidates are going to champion the issues you believe in and get behind them.

I'm tired of the excuses.

We have four months: go register and start studying. You can start here: DeclareYourself.com, but don't stop there.

Make your voice heard in November: VOTE!

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