Today is election day. I hope that everyone goes out and votes. It is a great privilege and an awesome responsibility we have in this country. Many positions of leadership are chosen by us, the voter, and we need to exercise our votes wisely and consistently.
Voting for our leaders is mostly a modern invention. Up until a couple of hundred years ago, most countries were ruled by monarchs. These were usually family affairs that put people in positions based on who they were related to. Thankfully we have gotten away from that...but I won't beat around the bush...
Way back in 500 BC the Greeks were the first to try something called democracy. They actually had a negative election (as opposed to our "positive" ones) where they voted out leaders who were no longer wanted. They would vote using broken pieces of pottery called ostraka. If a leader got more than 6000 negative votes they would be exiled for 10 years. Ostraka is where we get our word ostracized.
In America we have worked very hard to include all people in the voting process. In the last election over 128 million people voted. This represented just under 60% of eligible voters. When I hear of voter suppression I often reflect that about 40% of the population suppresses themselves. Of course, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it vote!
It is very important to use the privilege that we have as Americans in selecting our leaders. We need to make sure we are voting in every election. It is not an annoyance or even just a consideration. It is our chance to have a voice in the direction of everything including our schools, towns, states, and country.
The last thing is the day after. When we have elections we need to come together afterward. The poor loser mentality needs to be a thing of the past. The gloating winner is not helpful. No matter the outcome we are all Americans and we are all just doing that freedom of speech thing. It is important. It is vital. It is what makes America great!
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