I turned 18 a few weeks ago. As a nonsmoker without a serious affinity for tattoos or slot machines, I was severely underwhelmed by the new freedoms obtained when the clock struck midnight on that fateful Wednesday night.
My first full day of legal adulthood consisted of signing my first school waiver without the help of a parent, and just about nothing else even remotely out of the ordinary.
The one thing that did change was the way that my friends and family wished me happy birthday, as just about each and every person I encountered had one question for me — “How excited are you to vote?!?” The answer: mildly, because my impact is much greater in small elections than in the “huge” on that is coming up this November.
My whole childhood I was genuinely excited for the prospect of participating in the democratic process. I believed that to complain about the world, you had to vote; that to support armed forces without voting was fallacy; that no matter how statistically irrelevant a single vote was (most economists don’t vote), I would make a difference in the world when I cast mine.
Finally having earned a vote is still the most exciting part of becoming a legal adult (with legal skydiving as a very near second). But it’s the reason why I’m stoked that has changed.
Eight years ago I desperately wanted to vote to cast Bush out of office, and four years ago I wanted to vote to change history (first Hawaiian president anyone?). Big names and big glamour in politics, but to be realistic, minimal influence in my daily life.
I could spend countless hours of my life this fall analyzing the costs and benefits of putting Romney in office, or keeping Obama there. But why?
That time would be so incredibly better spent becoming well-versed in the ballot items that might actually impact my daily life.
Last year a local election literally decided the fate of Redwood’s funding, but in the shadow of primary election coverage, its importance seemed to shrink.
The ballot doesn’t end after the first two names at the top. State assemblymen voted in by locals and only locals will have the power to make laws by which we all live in California. Even offices as overlooked as chairperson of the water district will have some form of influence on our lives. That’s why their jobs are in our hands, and each vote actually does count due to the small scale of the election.
The key fact, tho, is that the Romney-Obama race is important to everyone.
The big “important” stuff will always matter, but a country is only as strong as its weakest links. Details on every local issue up for a vote will be online on Oct. 26 at marinvotes.org, so be there. Skimming over local issues when I walk into the voting booth would be just like cutting off the only link in the USA’s chain I can honestly reach.
