OPINION: Take our ‘Shall I Vote?' quiz
It's a common theme, but more popular than ever. It goes like this: "Whatever you do, be sure to vote." Or, "whatever you believe, just be sure to vote." And: "It's Election Day, so don't forget to vote." Vote, vote, vote is all we'll hear today.
Record numbers of citizens have been registered throughout the country. They've been handed pens and told to sign on the dotted line. Organizations such as Rock the Vote and
Get out the Vote encourage voting by people who are otherwise disinclined to vote.
Expect to see colleagues wearing "I voted" stickers, promoting voting like they would promote giving blood.
"Rock the Vote's mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country," states the organization's Web site.
Get Out the Vote's site says: "If you don't vote ... you don't count."
That isn't true. Traditionally, about half of Americans eligible to vote have opted to stay home. They very much play a role in improving the quality of our election results, and they do count.
The Census Bureau counts them, and their mere existence on American soil determines all sorts of things that shape society - such as how much federal money goes where. Whether or not you vote, you count a great deal to the IRS.
People who don't vote play a positive role by not polluting election results with ill-informed decisions. They count as people who didn't choose to participate in the passage or defeat of any measure on the ballot, or the election of any politician. A decision to not vote is a decision to participate in the process by abstaining. It's like getting elected to the Senate and voting "present" most of the time. It's a statement of non-participation, and it can be noble.
Throughout the United States today, supporters of causes and candidates on the left and the right will drive late voters to the polls.
People who are not severely disabled or lacking transportation - and most people who have not made the effort to arrange for transportation for whatever reason - should reject offers for rides to a precinct polling place. If campaigners pull up with a van or a car and offer a ride to the voting booth, tell them no. Tell them you're not interested in being used. Tell them you'd have arranged for a ride had you planned and prepared to vote.
Voting for the sake of voting is no virtue at all, no matter what pop culture says. It's the opposite. Voting without a solid understanding of the issues and candidates is, in fact, harmful to our communities and the greater republic. It's an exercise that can aid in the election of dishonest candidates. Mobs of ignorant voters are the reason candidates and issues are marketed with cheap slogans and simple themes that typically have no basis in truth. Because ill-informed people might vote, Candidate A buys a commercial that connects Candidate B with nuclear war; Candidate B buys an ad that links Candidate A with a killer on the loose.
Because ill-informed citizens are encouraged to vote, candidates make extraordinary promises they can't possibly keep. Ill-informed voters are useful idiots for sinister politics. Ill-informed citizens who choose not to vote, by contrast, act in a responsible fashion. If you're not certain whether you should vote today, take the following quiz:
• Do you know what the First Amendment protects?
• Do you know what the Second Amendment protects?
• Can you name the Secretary of State for the United States?
• Can you name the two Senators who represent your state?
• What obsolete Supreme Court case said African Americans were not citizens?
• Can you name two U.S. Supreme Court justices?
• What country does Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rule?
• What seat are Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer competing for?
• Supporters of El Paso County question 1A would raise the sales tax by how much?
• Do union leaders support the so-called "right to work" amendment?
• Would the Colorado Civil Rights Amendment (46) establish affirmative action to give women and minorities state jobs?
If you can't answer most of the above, with certainty, you are ill-informed. That does not mean you're a bad person by any measure. It probably means you're involved in meaningful tasks that distract you from current events. Those who can't correctly answer all or most of the questions above, for whatever reason, are not prepared to vote today.
Elections serve this country well, but only when the electorate is knowledgeable of the likely causes and effects of their decisions. Well-informed voters are people who have studied their ballots, followed the news, and informed themselves about the workings of their communities, their country and the world. By voting, they make the country strong.
Ill-informed voters, by contrast, do themselves and their country a giant favor by respectfully declining to vote. It requires no apology, no explanation. It's the noble, righteous and patriotic choice.
