Vote Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Vote Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

I can’t recall my parents ever discussing politics when I was a child other than complaining about their hard-earned money going to the government in the form of taxes. Maybe I just wasn’t listening, but I don’t remember feeling particularly pushed to exercise my right to vote when I turned 18. I’m not sure where my desire to partake in the ability to elect my leaders came from. Maybe I saw a lot of Rock the Vote commercials as a teen on MTV! Maybe a teacher inspired me to do my civic duty. As a bright-eyed 18-year-old college freshman, I eagerly registered to vote. I remember casting my ballot for the first time and feeling like such an adult.

Throughout my adulthood I have been pretty good about keeping up with elections. Since I have been in Texas, I have taken an even stronger interest in politics. Knowing who is representing us at the national, state, and local levels is very important. Many of us get so sick and tired of all of the smear campaigns, with politicians slinging mud at each other instead of talking about what their views and plans are, that we tune out and don’t vote. Our political system is somewhat broken. Special interest groups and money often seem to guide elected officials’ ideology more than the needs of constituents. Fighting between Republicans and Democrats leaves our government ineffective and unable to accomplish improvements. We complain about our tax dollars being wasted, get frustrated by a lack of affordable healthcare, and worry about the viability of Social Security, yet we don’t take the time to learn about the candidates for our government and our school board! That seems absurd! You may agree with this quote often incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain:

“Politicians are like diapers; they should be changed often, and for the right reason.” – Unknown

Politicians are only going to change if we stand up and demand better of them. Take a step to make our world a better place!

• If we are unhappy with our politicians, vote them out.
• Look for good candidates who support our views.
• Appreciate those who fought for our right to vote.
• Show our children that our voices matter.
• Know that every vote counts.
• 37 states offer early voting in person or by mail-in ballot without providing any reason for a need to vote early, so there is no excuse!

These words continue to ring true today:

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves, and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Remember this, Vote Now or Forever Hold Your Peace!

If you are looking for some fun voting shirts, buttons, etc, check out the voting finds at Zazzle. If you buy something from them, we make a little something for us (at no cost to you).
Zazzle is a great place for custom gifts. Personalize your holiday gifts!

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