WHAT,
ME VOTE?
Nancy
Simeone
Way
back in seventh grade economics, I made up my mind that presidential
elections were a waste of my time.
The
teacher, Mr. Dean, started off by explaining why participating
in local politics was a better way to make your voice heard.
Braving
a snowstorm to participate in a city referendum election with
the three other souls who bothered to show up is a much better
way to elicit change than to drop by the local polling precinct
and vote for the next president.
Why?
With
fewer people involved, each vote means more. Hey, what a great
incentive to convince all my friends not to vote!
A
few days later, we learned the real kicker - the popular vote
doesn't determine who becomes president, anyway. The electoral
college decides who gets crowned King of the Free World on
January 20th, not the crazy granolas in Northern California,
the yuppies in New York, or the cowboys in Texas.
The
members of the Electoral College don't even have to vote the
same way their constituents did. 538 men and women hold the
key to our next president. So why do the politicians waste
our time and money trying to convince me to get out and vote
for them?
I understand it's my civic responsibility as an American citizen
to get out and share my two cents on Election Day. And I do,
when I care enough about the issues to actually research the
pros and cons of each side. But why bother to decide which
face is going to make our country look stupid for the next
four years, especially when I know it's not really my decision
anyway?
I
haven't followed the politics of the 2000 elections, other
than to sigh a breath of relief when Elizabeth Dole dropped
out, or to marvel at what other media superstar has decided
to test the waters and mime throwing their hat into the ring.
Maybe as the election gets closer, I'll spend some more time
delving into the potential's personalities, but in the meantime
I'll just wait for the Fox special "When Politicians Attack."
Copyright©1999
Nancy Simeone
Nancy
Simeone is a 23-year-old who never thought Ross Perot
had a chance in '92. She could be the voice of disenchantement
- or she could be a mirror.
