Opinion

It’s not about who wins or loses, but who casts the vote

By Eryk Salvaggio

Posted on Nov. 03, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

I acknowledge that I will be relieved, for many reasons, when this election ends.

I am sympathetic to every side of this fight. I am tired of the word “maverick,” and I am tired of mocking the same word. I am tired of Bill Ayres, Joe the Plumber, Lipstick, Pigs and ACORN. Most of all, I am tired of the idea that voting is a waste of time.

Maybe the voting booth is a place that has no real meaning. Perhaps you have always been skeptical of people and you do not want to hand over a piece of paper declaring that you believe in something. It’s understandable.

After all, we’ve been tossed into a mud-stained democracy run by blowhards and fools, many of whom condescendingly sneer if we express an interest in an idea or a candidate they don’t like. We’ve heard about how so-and-so is a terrorist and so-and-so doesn’t show up for any votes; how one side is embroiled in scandals and how the other side has no experience; how one is too religious or not religious enough, or the wrong religion, or has the wrong kind of really amazing, powerful, empowering speeches.

My advice to you, skeptical voter, is one more layer of noise, but bear with me. I’m asking you to put the noise aside and vote, even if you don’t believe that vote will count. I’m asking you to walk into the multi-purpose room on Tuesday, sign an affidavit if you haven’t registered, and cast a vote. Just this once, just to see how it feels.

I am tired of hearing about how this generation always says it will vote, but doesn’t. I am tired of being ignored by candidates because they don’t think we’ll make it to the polls. Let’s face it, you’ve probably been late to class for worse reasons: hangovers, flirting, video games, boredom, hunger, who knows? Why not have a better excuse?

Maybe your guy loses, maybe your guy wins, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that winning or losing doesn’t matter. What matters is mustering up an ounce of faith in a broader system, taking the risk of being wrong and taking the plunge toward the single inch of progress you want for this world. You stake your claim and it’s terrifying.

Voting, you see, is not just about politics. It’s about working up the courage to believe in something you want to believe in. It’s the moment when you ask someone on a date even if you think you aren’t cool enough. It’s the moment when you raise your hand in a class to give an answer you kind of, maybe, think you know. It’s not the vote that matters, it’s the risk you take when you cast it: that you might be wrong, certainly; that it might break your heart if he wins, and becomes just another politician, the kind of guy who made you not want to vote in the first place. I believe the courage of asking for an impossible kind of dream is more important than the pleasure of getting it.

You can decide if that’s reason enough to vote. But to not vote is to say no to possibility, and yes to whatever you get stuck with. Sure, if you vote, you might not make it to that boring class on time, or have time to read the next article and eat your lousy sandwich. You can resign yourself to fate, or you can design your own. You don’t need to tell anyone you voted, or who you voted for. You can have a secret moment where you said yes to your rightful stake in the world, where you let yourself become the type of person who has ideals and takes action to make them come to fruition.

The ballot doesn’t care if you aren’t cool, or if you have all the answers. It just wants to know one thing: Who are you voting for?

Eryk Salvaggio is a senior new media student.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.