Rise

I am writing this as I am about to embark on my first journey into voting. I have long believed my vote has no meaning, to some extent, it doesn't in the mindset of Presidential elections. I have come to the action of questioning why this is. Is it because  the long standing, outdated electoral college systems is still in effect? That the only time mass media pushes  the American public to vote is during presidential elections were the decisions of the mass is decided by the few? The fact America has one of the lowest voter turnouts during any election and it only rises during Presidential elections?

I have been staring longingly at our America, looking at its people, at myself. Seeing us fight among ourselves our medium hiding world events and our apathy grow in search of security. We have been/are surrogating ourselves among different blurry lines. We scapegoat and blame presidents or other groups for the issue at hand and not realizing we the people are the issue. Yes a constant a push to vote may make a difference, but how many of us vote on the smaller scale of local, county, state or congressional elections? How often do we blame the President for things we could change by petitions or  representatives at these tiers? How many of us complain without voting in the first place, without letting our voices be heard? The latter I am guilty of.
America should of have an 80% plus voting turnout every congressional and presidential election minus kids and those revoked the right to vote.

http://smpbff1.dsd.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport/servlet/HotReportEngineServlet?reportid=767b1387bea22b8d3e8486924a69adcd&emailname=essb@boc&filename=0328_nata.hrml

This graph shows our voting percentages. Scary. Have we, America, numbly accepted the status quo? Have we forgotten the power we possess? This country was built on revolution, on progress for the greater good, equal rights and Freedom of beliefs. Amazing since most of the founding fathers were atheists. This country used to be in the hands of the people. It now sits in hands of religion, money and a stale unchanging law making body. Whose fault is this? Us the people.

So for the past 8 years of my life (18 to 26), I have opposed voting due to the generalized notion the only vote that counts is the presidential, which doesn't, due to the electoral college. I never heard the importance of  other elections pronounced through "Rock the Vote". If they were mentioned, it is in the demeanor of a whispered side note. Sadly these unsung elections is where our vote has the power to change our country. If your representatives and your senators are not listening to their caucus, the caucus has the power to change those people out and change how they are represented in congress. On the state and local level our vote is immensely powerful.  We change our community and we see the change directly and usually more swiftly.

We make the change if we vote.