One of the freedoms that is the cornerstone of democracy is the right to vote for members of the local, state and federal governments. Yet, although numerous debates focus on rights such as the free speech, privacy and "equal protection," the importance of voting is often overlooked. United States citizens are so accustomed to having the opportunity each year to vote that many take for granted their ability to impact the election of members of their government, and choose not to vote.

When Election Day (or primary) approaches, politics often supersedes the important process of urging people to get out and vote. Democracy is damaged more when people don't vote than if they vote for a losing political party. If a candidate wins an election where only a minority of all eligible voters cast their vote, the candidate and more importantly the constituents themselves really lose. The winning candidate has the daunting task of creating policy for many people who decided not to vote as well as those who voted for the other candidate. The constituents that do not vote are having laws created for them, but the elected candidates cannot create policy for them because these constituents did not express their views by voting.

Many people feel that their one vote does not affect an election. Although it might be true that elections, even on the local level of government, are not decided by one vote, the feelings of constituents are able to be voiced by their one vote. The more people who vote, the more elected officials must recognize that their constituents value, and are concerned about, who is representing them. Each vote is not only essential in showing the total amount of people that vote, but it also helps elected officials to form their own public policy. If they win an election, but the opposing political party(ies) receive a large amount of votes, the elected officials cannot just form policy that caters to one type of viewpoint. Even though their political party was victorious, a strong showing for the other party(ies) forces them to address the concerns of those constituents.

During a time when 24 hour news stations like CNN and MSNBC provide the world with access to current events at any point of the day, people are constantly expressing their opinions about different issues. If one is going to support or critique the actions of elected officials, one must first vote. Casting a vote for a losing candidate has significance because it expresses, at least, that the winning candidate was not chosen by each individual citizen. Not voting at all means that the issues you see or read about do not matter. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Ben Wolf