Why Do We Vote?

The right to vote is often viewed as a privilege shared by each citizen of a democratic republic. Some view it as an obligation or even a duty. At least 25% of the United States constituents are completely indifferent on the subject. According to Dr. Michael McDonald at George Mason University the 2008 elections had a nationwide turnout of 61.7% of the eligible voters totalling 133million people. He defined eligible voter population as being approximately 213million people. The CIA World Factbook estimated the total US population at 307million people in July of this year, so one could say approximately 43% of our country’s population votes.

Georgia Voters are a close mirror to that of the country’s statistics. 61.4% of Georgia’s eligible voters turned out for the ’08 presidential elections. 3.9million people out of 6.4million voted. For what were Georgians voting?

According to the most recent polls of the US population, the Economy and Jobs are continually the most important issues. Americans’ concern about the economy has decreased by 36% since the time of the ’08 presidential elections, but it is still the #1 concern. Healthcare, war, and the federal deficit trail behind the economy/jobs issue.

Cleisthenes, the “Father of Athenian Democracy”, is often credited with being the first to establish a democracy through his reorganization of the Greek constitution in 508 BC. Our system today is defined as a “representative democracy” since we typically vote on candidates and not specific issues.

We are referred to as a “Republic” since the term refers to a government with a head of state other than a Monarch. We are also referred to as a “Democracy” because the government is intended to be controlled “by the people”. The terms Republican and Democrat refer to members of political parties – organizations where candidates with like-minds join forces to win elections.

Many often wonder, “Why do we vote?”. They say, “My vote won’t count, I’m just one person.” Or they say, “The government will do what it wants no matter what I say or if I vote.” These are pragmatic statements that have a level of validity, but they are also the attitude that threatens the foundation of a democracy. When the people of a democratic republic become indifferent or ignorant about their government, it becomes a socialist republic by default.

As you take the time to vote your conscience tomorrow, and in the future, make sure your conscience is intelligent. Don’t vote for someone because they have a better sign or because their name seems more acceptable. Don’t vote for someone just because they shook your hand or answered your letter. Know the issues that affect you and know how candidates will deal with those issues.

Since the economy is always the biggest issue, our vote is usually about money and business. Are you about to vote for your local city council? If so, what did the existing council do for your business during their last term? Did they bring County & State funds to your city? Have they been sued by constituents? Do they vote on City matters based on how they campaigned or based on how they are influenced by other council members and the mayor? If you don’t know these answers, you may be clueless about the most important factors affecting your business.

Do you drive through cities where there seems to be a lot of road and bridge projects, far more than your city? Have you seen announcements of certain counties continually opening new business locations or new utility plants? Have you seen counties that have businesses relocating from other states that will provide thousands of new jobs? Is that your city or county? If not, maybe your city council and county commissioners are not doing as effective of a job as those consistently out-performing them in other cities and counties.

Pay attention to the local issues that affect your business in addition to your state and national issues. Vote Business first, charisma second.

We often say we all support a notion of “Laissez Faire” (Let It Be) where the French minister Rene de Voyer stated, “Let It Be, such should be the motto of every public power…” Where is the limit of government involvement in business management?

Will the person you vote for bring your business opportunity without increasing its restrictions on your business?

Go to the following site to receive updated election information for the State of Georgia:

http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/default.htm


Sites that provided useful info for this article:

http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html

http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleisthenes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laissez_faire