Taking Part in the Election Process Is Patriotic
In the classic 1980s teen movie “Sixteen Candles,” the character portrayed by Anthony Michael Hall brags of having a fake ID.
Most would assume the fake ID was to buy alcohol or maybe cigarettes. That wasn’t the case here. When asked why he possessed it the reply was “So I can vote.”
I have always related to that movie line. I’m probably one of the few who remembers that as his favorite part of that particular movie.
To me voting is simply patriotic and an American thing to do. We hear of baseball and apple pie being American, well, to me voting belongs in the same discussion.
For years before I was eligible to vote (I never went the fake ID route to cast a ballot) I was eager to take part. The best I could do was keep track of all the candidates.
While riding with my parents during my pre-voting age years, I always looked for signs of candidates who were running for office. It didn’t matter the candidate and it didn’t matter the office, I simply enjoyed seeing it and had respect for anyone taking part in the election process by being a candidate.
I remember going with my mother while she voted. This was in the time of the old voting booths where the curtain would close behind you. I can recall telling her “you should vote for….” Typically, she voted the opposite.
In my home county in 1984 a close family friend ran for sheriff. I still remember the excitement of seeing his name on signs across the county as well as on one in our yard. I also still remember the disappointment when he lost.
The first time voting for me was in the primary election of 1990. All of the statewide offices were on the ballot that summer including a hotly contested governor’s race.
I was proud to make it known who I was voting for and supporting. I placed a sign for the governor candidate of my choice in our front yard. A family friend inquired about to which my mom replied, “Chris put that there.”
My choice for governor that summer did not win or even make the runoff. It began a long tradition for me of not voting for someone who was victorious.
Through the years I have voted for a candidate who finished ninth in a nine-person race for state school superintendent. I was a volunteer worker for a congressional candidate in 1992 only to see him finish fifth in a five-candidate competition.
Despite what my mom tries to say, I do not purposely vote for the candidate who I think will finish last. There are times, of course, I am realistic and realize my choice is not going to win.
However, I have always felt voting for who you think is the best candidate over who you think will win is the right thing to do. I can’t recall ever being ashamed of my vote even if the candidate did not do well on election day.
It’s true I have always had a soft spot for the underdog. That is true in politics and sports. However, I do not try to predict who will finish last in a contested race and then fight for that person.
With there being a presidential election this year, interest will be very high in our state and across the country. To me, it’s great to see people so eager to be a part of the process.
Voting for our next president is important just as it is important to vote for races at the local level from mayor to city council to school board.
I’m sure we all know people who have never voted one time. Many have never even registered to vote. To me, those people are missing out on something special, something simply American.
We have a special honor in our country and that is to take part in open elections without fearing our vote will land us in prison or worse. That’s a powerful thing and something we should all be proud to take part in.
It doesn’t matter which candidate you support. Being involved in the process is the main thing. Besides, with 20 candidates running in one U.S. Senate race I have been studying up to figure out how to cast my vote for the one who finishes in 20th place.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.