Tomorrow is election day. An important day mainly because of the presidential election, but also congressional, senatorial, and local. I have always felt that the local and state elections are a bit more important because they have a more direct impact on the people. At the national level, the politicians just argue that the other side of the aisle is wrong and don't get nearly enough accomplished.
I stand by the thinking that if you don't vote, you cannot complain about the outcome. Your argument is invalid if you are too lazy to get out of the house one day out of the year and participate in the democratic process. Whether you vote Republican, Democrat, or third party as long as you do it that is fine. In 2008 (the last presidential election), the national voter turnout was 61.6 percent. Looking at Minnesota in that same year, the turnout was 77.8 percent. In 2004, those numbers are 60.1 percent (national) and 78.4 percent (Minnesota). Both sets of numbers can be found here (2008) and here (2004). I did not live in Minnesota those two elections, but living here now, I like the fact that I will be part of a state that has such a great turnout every four years. The main question I have is with the options we have now, can the turnout numbers start to increase this year? Options that are out there are include early voting and mail in voting. You don't even have to leave your house if you don't want to anymore!
Even if you do not vote for the two major parties, voting third party still gets your voice heard. That is how you start the conversation to get things changed. As more and more people get disenfranchised with the parties in power, they turn to the third parties. Even if these third parties do not get into power, if they continue to get more votes, true politicians will take notice and start to work for these people to bring them back into the fold. Or at least they should. That's how change happens, or at least how it should happen. Bringing change should be the new normal.
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