Monday, November 03, 2008

Why I Vote

I’ve voted in every election since I was old enough to vote, a pattern of behavior that I suspect comes straight from my parents (who I recall voting and discussing elections and politics in a way that transcended party-line thinking). There have always been specific issues that I’ve been passionate about. As a writer and reader, for example, I care passionately about freedom of speech and threats to it. More recently, as an online enthusiast, I see threats to our freedoms there. These issues still are part of what drive me to cast my ballot.

But not terribly long ago, I became a parent. Now I constantly think about my children and the world they live in today and the world I want them to live in when they’re grown. So I vote in an attempt to deliver the future that I want for my children, and also because I want to exhibit behavior I want my kids to model.

Parents often say “use your words” to our kids. As adults, we need to “use our rights,” and we need our kids to see us do it. I use my right to free speech to talk about the issues with my children, and I talk about what it means to have the right to vote. As I said here, voting is more than just a word – it’s an action that gives us a voice.

So tomorrow I will go to the polls and use my voice for myself and my children. I’m going to vote... and I hope all of you who are registered do the same.

This post is written as part of the non-partisan, non-bashing Blog the Vote event. Please head over to Chasing Ray to see links to a wonderful collection of posts about voting.

(If you encounter problems while trying to vote, you can call the non-partisan Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA.)

5 comments:

MotherReader said...

I love your linking "use your words" to "use your rights." Excellent.

Tonight as we wait for hours, standing, for a last rally in the hotly contested state of Virginia, I suspect my kids will use their words to say, "How much longer?"

I'll placate and, if necessary, ignore. We're part of history.

rathacat said...

Good post, Greg. I enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Much to think on here, Greg. First amendment, freedom of speech is pretty important to me as well.
"So I vote in attempt to deliver the future I want for my children"....that would be for my grandkids in my case.

Andrea -- Just One More Book!! Podcast said...

Good Morning, Greg,

Here's something else we tell our children: "You did it!!!!"

Congratulations.

Saints and Spinners said...

Greg, Thanks for being one of the organizers for the Blog the Vote event. As I was listening to the radio before the first returns came in, I heard one commenter say that this election has had a lot of influence from the blogs. Thank you for using your words and your rights.