Voting — A Right or Responsibility?
Voting – A Right or a Responsibility?
How do you react when someone asks “Have you voted yet?” Has that ever happened to you? Voting has been important to me since my elementary school days. We had elections in our classes at school and I recall a discussion with my uncle about whether it was OK to vote for myself. I don’t remember what the election was or why I thought it was bad to vote for myself, but I remember my uncle being very clear about the message that If I were a candidate I should definitely vote for myself. In junior high, I was the campaign chair for a friend who was running for a student body office. We, of course, encouraged our friends to vote and asked if they’d cast their ballot. Over the years I watched my parents discuss candidates and make their voting plans and eagerly awaited my own opportunity to vote in local and national elections.
By the time I was eligible to vote in government elections, I had already been elected myself to positions at various schools and within the Camp Fire organization. In Camp Fire I even earned a Torchbearer Award in Citizenship, which recognized the importance of voting, among many other characteristics of being a good citizen. As an adult, I have been active in the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, and the Unitarian Universalist Church, all organizations which encourage voting and which have voting as part of their organizational activities as well. I’ve also been candidate for office and on the ballot myself numerous times, for a city council position, for the legislature, and for a judicial position which I held for 13 years.
Given this background, it’s common for me to remind people to vote or to ask if a person has already voted, because I assume my friends want to vote and we all sometimes need reminders. This assumption that other people want to vote has been challenged recently. After posting a comment about voting on social media, I received numerous critical comments. The arguments seemed to be:
1. No one is required to vote so it’s none of my business whether or not they have voted.
2. Since some people cannot vote, either because they are not citizens or have lost their voting privileges due to criminal activity, it is rude and impolite to talk to them about voting.
3. One commenter said that voting is a private matter and that talking about it was like asking someone about their sex life.
These reactions have caused me to wonder if society has changed. Rather than feeling a responsibility to be good neighbors and community members, with voting being a part of that, many people view voting as an optional activity they only occasionally participate in. While I would never want to embarrass someone who was not eligible to vote, I don’t think the people I’ve spoken to about voting are in that category, except for those who may have seen a voting reminder on social media.
How do you view voting? As an important part of being a citizen and community member or as an optional activity to engage in if you have nothing better to do? Are you offended if someone asks you if you’ve voted yet? Do you think people should be encouraged to vote? If so, what’s the best way to do that?
The primary election is August 6 in Washington. Have you voted?
Carolyn Hayek