Think your vote doesn’t make a difference? Think again. Educate
yourself on the issues and then take a stand
Forget bragging about having seen the latest art exhibit or the play that’s taking the theater world by storm. The only thing worth bragging about this coming week is whether you paid a visit to the polls to cast your vote.
“You’re going to be voting for people who are going to be running our country,” said Kim Hawk, elections coordinator for San Benito County. “You want to make sure that they are people you feel are capable of doing something so important.”
Consider that the United States is the most powerful country in the world and California is the world’s eighth largest economy, according to The Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. Now consider that you can have a hand in deciding how both these superpowers are run by simply dropping your ballot in a box.
“I think a lot of people say their vote won’t count because it’s just one vote,” Hawk said. “But that’s not true. One vote does make a difference. Over the years, there have been extremely close races where just a few votes could have changed everything. People have a right to go out and express their opinions by voting and they should know that their opinion matters.”
Elma Rosas, spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Office, points out that political candidates and supporters and opponents of propositions or measures spend a lot of money trying to get votes.
“Clearly, there is a high value placed on each individual’s votes, or politicians wouldn’t spend so much money trying to earn your vote,” she said. “And voting is the one place where we’re all equal. Regardless of your social status or your economic status, your ballot is just as important as any other ballot. That’s pretty significant.”
This week, sit down at your local coffee shop with your voter’s guide, read through the candidates’ statements and see what the propositions are really about rather than relying on television commercials for information. Educating yourself on ballot items is all the rage this season.
Information on non-partisan Web sites, such as www.smartvoter.com, and the non-partisan free easy voter’s guides available at the registrar’s office can help voters make informed decisions, Rosas said.
“I think many people feel like they don’t know enough about ballot measures or propositions to vote on them,” she explained. “But that’s the beautiful thing about voting. You don’t have to vote for everything on a ballot. People can vote for the things they are familiar with and are confident about and they can leave the other items blank.”
It’s also easier than ever to vote. People can use absentee ballots to vote through the mail, polls are open long hours to accommodate hectic schedules and people can vote before election day at the county registrar’s office.
Rock the vote, South Valley. Everyone who is anyone is doing it.
