The clock is ticking on this year’s presidential election. If you haven’t decided who to vote for yet, you only have a couple of days to figure it out. As we’ve mentioned before, voting is one of our civic responsibilities that tests our critical thinking skills. Decoding complex and media-muddled arguments, evaluating core facts (and lies), and deciding which candidate would do a better job—all of these tasks require the ability to think critically.
One challenge voters face is the need to carefully evaluate individual candidates and issues instead of blindly voting along party lines. Even when the majority of voters agree on something across party lines, they can remain split by strong partisan ideologies. Their strong sense of duty to one political party can cloud their reasoning, making it impossible to find workable compromises or consensus in the interest of all.
Regardless of where your thinking leads you, and which candidates and issues you ultimately decide to support or oppose, one truth is clear to those on both sides of the political divide: it is incredibly important to vote.
Some people struggle to see this. In a sea of hundreds of thousands of voters in your city or state, and just one in 300 million voters in the United States, it can be easy to succumb to the dangerous belief that “my vote doesn’t really matter.”
That’s likely what voters in Alaska were thinking in 2008 when the congressional election was decided by a single vote. In New Hampshire in 1974, the Senate race was won (or lost) by just two votes. Even as early as 1839, we see evidence of this “one vote doesn’t matter” mindset; in that year, a Massachusetts governor was elected by two votes (Biemolt 2015).
Clearly, if enough citizens fail to recognize their responsibility to vote, one non-voter quickly joins with hundreds, thousands, or even millions of other non-voters. Collectively, their silence has a significant impact. Not only are these voters not supporting their own interests, but they also make it easier for people with opposing viewpoints to make decisions on their behalf.
This is why it’s essential to think critically about our civic responsibilities and the importance of voting—not just to critically analyze the issues and the candidates. After all, the logic of “my one vote doesn’t matter” crumbles when we pause to consider it thoughtfully.
By now, hopefully, you agree with us and with countless scholars, economists, and world leaders: no matter who or what you want to vote for, you should vote. #EveryoneIn2016
If you’re not sure how to vote, call your local election office or search online. Or just navigate to the Google homepage and type “how to vote in [insert your state]” into the search bar.
Reference
Biemolt, Alysha (21 August 2015). 10 Facts that Prove Voting is Important. The Borgen Project. Retrieved from http://borgenproject.org/voting-is-important/.