The words echo through the television, the radio, and even on the internet, over and over again, “voting is important.” But, there are still thousands upon thousands of people that are 18 years and older that simply do not exercise their right to vote. There are many different excuses, but one of the most common one is that their vote doesn’t count. Another popular excuse is that the person doesn’t have the time. When you think of the process that many people went through to provide the right to vote to every single American citizen, aged 18 and over, those people that don’t vote should think twice.
The majority of people that do not vote simply do not understand how important it is. Every American’s vote goes towards choosing the leaders of the country. Whether it is your local town chairman, a city’s mayor, a state representative, a senator, or the president’ seat that is up for election, every chance you have to vote should be taken. If you do not exercise your right to vote, you can not complain about the way the country is being run. You’re one vote could have been the swing vote that would have put someone else in office, thus changing the way things are being run.
When someone says that they just don’t have time to vote, it’s really just an excuse. Voting polls are often open very early in the morning, some as early as 6AM or earlier. The voting polls also usually stay open until about 8PM. This is a long day, and longer than most people’s work day. That means citizens can run in and vote on their way into work, or on their way home. Better yet, go on your lunch break when it won’t be that busy. When you avoid the polls during rush hours, you will be in and out in a matter of a couple minutes. When you go during rush hours, lines will be longer and you may find yourself in line for an hour, especially during more popular elections, such as the Presidential election.
