Each November, residents in the United States have the opportunity to vote on whom they want as their political leaders. This is a great opportunity to choose a new leader or confirm that you still want the existing leader. Even though the Leadership Done Right audience is growing to the point that the international audience is similar in size to the audience in the United States, there are important points to address as they relate to elections, voting, and choosing your leaders.
It is not uncommon to hear people say around election time that they don’t want to vote because their vote doesn’t count or they are insignificant. This is a bad attitude to have because of the following reasons:
1. Each vote counts towards the sum of the votes for each new leader or issue.
No one candidate is elected just by one vote, but they are elected by many votes. Your vote may only be one vote, but if you don’t vote you are giving your freedom to other people. You are allowing them to choose on your behalf.
Your vote does count. Without your vote and the votes of all your friends, family, and community members, no one would get elected. You can use your freedom to vote so that you have a say in what your government does.
2. Choose someone that will represent you how you would want to be represented.
By taking the time to vote, you are letting your voice be heard. You can tell the world who you want to represent you. When you vote, do your research so that you vote for someone you trust to lead you.
You may say, “Well, I don’t fully agree with any of the candidates, who should I vote for now?” My recommendation is that you study all the issues and vote for the candidate that has views that are most aligned with your views. No two people think exactly alike, but you can vote for someone that will represent you how you want to be represented.
3. Vote to have your voice heard and retain the right to vote.
The following graph shows the voter turnout of the voting age population (VAP).
When looking at the above graph, it is interesting to note that depending on the election, you can have anywhere from 35-61% of the population that doesn’t vote. Many countries are founded on the right to vote because it gives you the right to choose. If you don’t take advantage of the right, you may lose it.
You should never take the right to vote for granted because there are many countries that don’t enjoy that right and those that do have to work very hard to earn the right.
Why would you ever willingly have a leader that you don’t trust or support?
When you don’t bother to vote, you are willingly saying that you will trust any leader that is up for election whether or not they agree with you and your standards. Are you really okay with giving your support to any leader that comes up for election?
Be the difference maker!
If you don’t like the candidates or what they stand for, become involved and even run for office if you feel like you can do the job. Become involved with your community. Don’t just sit by idly watching as people take away your freedoms from you and give you new laws that you must follow when you don’t agree with them.
Make a difference in the world around you! You can’t change the world and be a great leader if you sit quiet and watch the world go by. You must get up, talk to people, and let your voice be heard.
What are your thoughts?
Why is voting important to you? Why do you or don’t you vote for your leader? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Leave a Reply