Today is election day in the United States, and I voted. If you are a U.S. citizen and have voting rights, I strongly encourage you to vote today.
Vote. It's the least you can do.
Even if you don't pay taxes, vote.
Whether you are patriotic or not, vote.
Even if you've chosen not to serve in the military or do any sort of national service or volunteer work, vote.
If you choose not to give of your time or money for charity, vote.
If you whine and finagle your way out of jury duty, vote.
If you are politically active, or have an axe to grind, vote.
Even if you don't like politics or political discussions, even if you don't have opinions of your own, vote.
Even if you don't write letters to your Congressman or Senator or President expressing your opinion on issues of the day, vote. That will do.
Even if you don't write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, vote.
If you're not old enough to vote, or have been stripped of your right to vote, help someone else get to the polls. Drive them. Buy mass transit tokens and hand them out. Telephone, email, SMS, and/or telepathically contact others and encourage them to vote.
Vote because we can. Vote because no one is going to murder you, or disappear you, or incarcerate you because of your voting.
Vote beccause there is more than one candidate on the ballot.
Vote because we are on the brink of war but it is still not too late to choose peace.
Vote because people are out of work, pensions are withering, the economy is in the dumps, and there is more that can be done than letting market forces take care of things.
Vote even if you think your vote won't count. The act of walking into a polling place and submitting your vote is, in itself, a politcal act of will and cannot be ignored.
Make an informed choice. Read the newspaper before you go. Or don't, and flip a coin, consult an astrologer, roll dice, throw runestones, read tea leaves, consult tarot cards.
Take a little time off work and vote.
Vote, and if you find a race where you don't know who to vote for, vote for someone whose name reminds you of your pet, an ex-SO, a cartoon character.
If you don't know who to vote for, vote anyway.
Just vote. Whatever party you associate yourself with, just vote. Whatever ethnicity or religion you identify with, vote.
Vote because assholes like me are going to ask you if you voted whenever you express a political opinion.
If nothing else, if none of these reasons appeal to you at all, if nothing else can move you, then vote because it is an act of faith. It is an expression of faith that America can be better, that democracy is the best system available, and that, no matter how much we may think otherwise, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary, people have voices that matter.
Thank you and have a nice day.