One of my favorite bloggers is marketing guru Seth Godin. He had an interesting post today on voting. Here are a few snippets:
- Voting is free.
- Voting makes some people feel as good as if they just gave blood, but you don't get cookies or a pin.
- Other people have a real problem with voting, probably involving the act of taking responsibility.
- Many, many people feel uncomfortable voting for someone they think might lose.
- Other people think there's no such thing as a wasted vote.
- If you voted with your parents, I bet you're more likely to vote now.
- People rarely dress up when they go out to vote.
- There are no prizes or other promotions associated with voting (vote once, get another vote free).
- If a person votes for you, they feel a lot more connected to the work you do.
- Elections are quite close more than you would imagine. Which means that votes surely matter.
- Yet a majority of people don't bother.
Seth concludes with a great question, "I wonder which reason above matters most?"
3 comments:
My mom worked the polling booth for YEARS! I remember going in at some point during each election to see my mom. And you know what I vote.
I can honestly say I didn't have anything to do with politics until I was married. My parents voted but on their own and never really shared their views. Later in life they began to share their disgust with the political realm and never encouraged us as grown adults to participate.
I now have connected with the issues and push myself to stay involved. I take my kids to the polls and discuss some of the issues with them around the dinner table. I want my children to participate in our democracy.
There are many reasons for not voting but I know personally it was because there was no encouragement from the adults I grew up around.
I can't come up with one single reason why, under normal daily life circumstances, I wouldn't vote. I take it sooooo seriously - which often makes me the butt of the jokes of those who love me. But then, I take a lot about being a citizen seriously. I take a lot about life seriously - I prefer to say that I'm passionate.
And I bring my kids with me whenever I can, reminding them all the way in and out what a privilege it is to vote. They have the bulk of my soapbox speech memorized.
You should have heard me when Bhutto was assassinated. "THAT's why I vote - because as an adult woman in the US, I CAN! And women and men like her are how I got that privilege to vote." I rant and rave. I know, none of this surprises you much :)
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