This hub is intended to give you reasons to go vote. It is not a hub advocating for any candidate, or any party (you can check out my other hubs to view those).

Voting is a privilege. Many people think it is a right, but it is a privilege. It can be taken away from you. In the beginning of the history of the United States, voting was limited to white male landowners. But now, almost everyone has the right to vote. You have this right regardless of color, race, religion or gender. People fought to give you this privilege. Some of those people even died because they fought so hard.

It is my humble opinion that we all have the obligation to vote. It is the one time in which you get to express your opinion and it MUST be counted. You may not think it counts for a lot, but it does. If everyone who thought their vote wouldn't count voted - imagine the difference in the results. Voting is your one way of participating in the system (unless you are going to run for office).

Voting is a privilege of being a US citizen, and we should all exercise our right to vote.

What is a Republic? It is amazing that more people don't know the answer to this question. A Republic is a system of government whereby the people vote for the people who vote and make the decisions. This is what we have in the United States. It is not a democracy. It is a republic. Some people call it a democratic-republic, and for some it is a republican-democracy. However you name the system, the fact remains: you vote for the people who vote on the decisions, not on the decisions themselves.

This is a clear distinction. We vote for the people who vote.

This means that your vote is the only time you get to express your opinion to the members of Congress, the state Legislatures, and everyone else you vote for. They can hear your opinion on various issues if you write letters and email, but in the voting they have to pay attention.

Imagine this situation. A Democrat is elected to the US Senate and wins a district by 1 percentage point. This means the Senator knows that a large percentage of his district is Republican. It also means that the Democrat has to appeal to more moderates, because his district isn't polarized. If a vote comes up in the Senate, he will take his ability to get reelected into account. Which means that he is more likely to vote more moderately than he would've voted if the district had been more polarized.

You still think your vote doesn't matter?

Many studies have shown that members of Congress vote, in general, to preserve their carreers in Congress. They take into account the split in their district, and the type of voter in their district. This means that everyone who votes in the district is taken into consideration. So if you can get all your friends to vote, or all the young people in the district vote, the Senator (Congressman or whoever) is more likely to take your opinion into account when they are voting on issues. They want to be reelected. They don't want to anger their constituents to the point that they face a strong challenger with popular support.

Your vote counts.

Being an informed voter is important. Democracies and republics only work when the people participating in them are informed. When people aren't informed you get a lazy government who doesn't tell you anything and deals with voters at the most basic of levels. A functioning democracy or republic requires participation by the voters - informed participation. The Constitution declares this country to have a government "by the people and for the people." How can it be by the people and for the people if the people are ignorant? This means that you have an obligation as a voter to be informed.

I don't mean that you have to be a policy wonk or bury your nose in the scientific studies that people say back their positions. You don't have to read every article and watch every debate. But you do have to put in more effort than watching a 30 second spot on television and listening to the radio ads on your way to work.

You cannot be informed on every subject- that would take forever. But you can be informed on generalities and some subjects. Pick something that makes a difference to you and learn about it. Are you a mom? Maybe you want to be involved in education. What about a small business owner? Maybe you should learn about taxes and lending practices. Whatever you pick - pick something.

People say the government doesn't listen to them. People don't like who is running. People have issues with the decisions that are made. I hear these things all the time, and these same people say that there is nothing they can do about it.

Really?

Be informed. Know who you are voting for - beyond their cosmetic appearance. The worst thing for me to hear, as a Republican, is that someone is voting for Sen. McCain because Gov. Palin is on the ticket. Really? You don't care about any of their positions? You are voting for him because there is a woman on the ticket? The same goes for those who are voting for Sen. Obama because he is black. You don't care about his positions? Do you know what he stands for?

These are the same people who will then complain that they didn't get what they wanted in a candidate. The reason is - you voted for someone without being informed.

There are many ways of being informed. You can read the news, watch the debates, and research issues and candidates online. Relying on someone else's interpretation of events in a television ad is a sure-fire way to be misled. There is a limited amount of time on an ad, and the ads have to play to a certain audience. The people who create the ads are counting on the fact that most people don't put any effort into researching the candidates. Therefore, the ads play to the simplest view of the candidate, to make a pretty package for the voter.

One of my favorite shows (West Wing) has this line: No one is stupid in an election year, it is just that they get treated like they are stupid.

This refers to the tendencies of campaigns to gloss over issues and treat voters as if we are not informed - because most voters are not informed. Have you heard either candidate address - solid and with a clear plan - health care? You hear the words "change," "new," "coverage for everyone," and "no new taxes," from the candidates. But does either one have a true plan? Do you know how the candidates would fund their plans? The U.S. has a huge debt (that just got bigger thanks to the Wall Street bailout) and now the candidates want to spend more money?!

But they can get away with saying these things because the majority of voters are not informed and will vote on the basis of what they are hearing and seeing on TV and radio - not on the facts or issues at hand.

So how do you stop this? You become informed. And you share your knowledge with those around you, so they can be informed as well. Don't play to the "stupid median voter" idea - make a difference and be informed.

Do you want some numbers on why voting makes a difference?

The majority is not ruling this country - it is the minority. Only 39.9% of eligible voters voted in the 2004 election.

When the right to vote was given in 1776, only while male landowners could vote - about 6% of the population.

The last time more than half of the eligible population voted was in 1968 (when there wasn't the ability to have mass communications like email and TV that there is today. People had to research on their own and vote).

In 2004 President Bush beat Senator Kerry 51% to 48% - winning by just 3 million votes.

In 2000 president Bush won Florida - and thus the election - by just 537 votes.

Make yourself heard and go vote!

Number 10: You are tired of all the Republican scandals and abuses of power, and you would like more Democratic scandals and abuses of power.

Number 9:You have a credit card, mortgage, student loan or car loan (or other various forms of loans) and you would like someone to represent you who would stop the companies from bad banking practices and customer abuse.

Number 8: You are a parent/grandparent or want to be a parent.grandparent and are concerned about the education that your child/grandchild is getting or will get. There is no better way to voice your opinion on this than to vote for someone with sound education policies (NCLB is not included in this).

Number 7: You get to wear the "I voted" sticker all day (as a side note I actually have a collection of these from every year I have voted).

Number 6: Because someone, somewhere, fought to get you the ability to vote. Even white men had to fight for the ability to vote and determine their own government's destiny - in the Revolutionary War. More recently Susan B. Anthony and variosu civil rights activists have worked hard to ensure the ability to vote for everyone.

Number 5: You care about anything that has to do with money, education, land, and the environment. These are all areas that the federal government can touch - so if you care about these areas, you should vote for who is going to make the decisions about them.

Number 4: To be counted and heard. You want young people, women and minorities to be heard? Do you want your voice to matter? Then you need to vote and have that vote counted.

Number 3: You want to cancel out someone else's vote. Someone you know - parents, teacher, coworker - are going to vote and they will be voting differently than you want. By voting in the other direction, you can negate their vote.

Number 2:If you don't vote, someone else is going to. This means that other people are going to be making these decisions for you. Wouldn't you like some say?

and the Number 1 reason to vote is.....

If you don't vote - you don't get to complain.You can only complain about the process if you voted and tried to get it to work your way. If you don't vote - then don't complain because you didn't even try.

The links below are some links to various information sites. These sites have information on the issues and candidates of concern in this election.

By listing these sites I am not endorsing the views of any site, or suggesting that you vote the way the site indicates. I am simply giving access links to various website for more information so that you can make up your own mind.

Other Opinions on Voting:

Why voting matters

Active Voter is Cure For Political Ills

Kids' Opinions on Why Voting Matters

Rock the Vote: Why Voting Matters

Christians have an obligation to vote