“So we just gonna continue.”
I am about to feed into the clusterfuck of articles that are about the United States’ 2016 Election Day, but I feel strongly about this, so here it goes.
Today, November 8th, 2016, is Election Day, which signals the hopeful end of this shit-show that we here in the US call the 2016 Presidential Election. As entertaining as the comedy that has come out of this election has been, I am more than extremely excited for this state of insanity to come to an end. In my short 22 years of life, I don’t remember seeing an election that has aggravated me so much. Obviously, none of the candidates are ideal (yes, I am including 3rd party candidates), but all the empty back and forth rhetoric coming from all sides the spectrum has been absolutely grinding, and I, for one, am ecstatic that today marks the end (until inauguration in January, of course). This election marks a slew of candidates that are far less ideal than any of the other Presidential candidates that have ran in my lifetime, but I cannot stress enough one thing:
IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER.
Voting is a privilege, no matter how many people tell you that it’s a right. No one in this country has the RIGHT to vote. This RIGHT can be taken away so quickly that you don’t even recognize it’s gone. The people out there that can vote have the PRIVILEGE to vote. I am a citizen of the US by birth, and have been law abiding enough that today, I can vote in my second Presidential election. Today, I have the PRIVILEGE to vote for the next leader of the free world.
There are millions of people in this country that would do anything to have their voices heard, do anything to be in the position that I am in, but aren’t for one reason or another. Many immigrants, documented or undocumented, are unable to vote because they are not naturalized citizens of this country. It costs “buku” (thanks, Andre 3000) dollars to become a citizen of this country, and many people don’t even have green card money to shell out to the government, let alone citizenship money. Undocumented immigration has been a huge issue in this election, and these immigrants OF ALL ORIGINS (not just Mexican) can’t even have their voices heard because of the unfortunate situation they are in.
Today, I vote for them.
There are another couple million people, disproportionately black men, that have been labeled as felons, and have lost their right to vote. Whether this label has been put on them rightfully or wrongfully, many of these people have been come voiceless, in more ways than one. Many of these people will never have the chance to vote again.
Today, I vote for them.
It is incredibly easy for me to lose my right to vote, and I realize and recognize this fact. I am tired of people saying, “Oh, I’m not going to vote in this election because none of the candidates are good.” Realize what you are saying: “I am not going to vote.” YOU have the privilege that others would “kill” (for lack of a better term) for. DO NOT THROW AWAY THAT PRIVILEGE. RECOGNIZE THAT PRIVILEGE AND USE IT.
I am human, I realize that none of these candidates are the best. Yes, it hurt me to even bubble in my choice for President, because in my heart, I do not fully believe in the candidate that I voted for. But, in life, we have to do things we don’t like, and today, I had to partake in doing something I don’t normally do, putting my belief in someone that I don’t fully agree with.
Also, there is more than a Presidential election going on today. Today, you also have the chance to vote for your state and local officials. At the end of the day, the results of the Presidential election will not affect you as much as the results of these respective elections. It is important to vote for the state and local officials of your choice, as it is important for you to vote for your state and local Propositions. These people and propositions are going to affect you far more than the President ever will in your lifetime, guarantee it.
At this point, I don’t even care who you vote for. Because it’s not my business who you believe in or not. All I care about is that you practice your privilege to vote. Because there are millions of people in this country, and BILLIONS of people in other countries that do not have the privilege to be part of this democratic system, even if it does have some major flaws.
So please, if you are a US citizen, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, go exercise your privilege to vote.
Jess B 