Everyone of legal voting age should be voting in any election that they are allowed to.  There is no argument against this, so quit rationalizing away your civic duty.  Voting is a privilege that surprisingly few citizens appreciate and an option that many other countries’ citizens simply don’t have.  Your vote matters and is the keystone of a proper republic.  Make your voice count!

Here are a few pro tips regarding election day:

1) Regardless of political affiliation, makes sure you do your research

The various candidates that we see on the marquee are often using that platform to get into power, irrespective of their various political leanings and ideology.  The “R” and “D” mean much less today than they used to, so “voting down the line” doesn’t necessarily translate into the “right” candidate.  Seek out the people that make sense to you, and keep in mind that as a country, we are all in this together to some degree.

2) Register to vote and make it easy on yourself

If you are registered to vote at a specific address you can receive a “mail-in” ballot.  This makes the voting process so much easier and you can do it on your own time.  Contrast this with having to travel to any particular voting center and waiting in line for potentially hours.  At home one can properly research and vet the candidates they are voting for and save time.  It costs about $0.75 to mail in a ballot–get with the program.

3) Watch out for those amendments and spending bills

Any amendment is a change to the constitution.  In many cases, these laws have been around for decades if not longer.  Consider carefully why the change is needed now and/or if any special interest group is behind the push.  Most constitutions (state or otherwise) were written in much healthier political times and there is significant meaning within the document(s).  Deciding to change these type of guiding principles should be done only when necessary.  The same can be said about spending bills.  Every proposition of any number, letter, etc., is a Trojan horse to later unlimited funding to various projects that will ultimately lead to higher taxes.  If you’ve been on this earth long enough, you will understand that the spending never ends, the money never goes where it should, and they ALWAYS come back to the voter for more!  Seriously, fuck these people–it’s our money they are playing with!

4) Polarization is for the NPC

I don’t care which way you lean, chances are that we likely agree on 3/4 of the current political issues if we sit down and have a conversation.  Don’t fall into the polarization trap!  Divide and conquer is so easy to accomplish when the population is too busy fighting each other.  The parties today are but shades of their former selves and the “R” and “D” is becoming more and more meaningless every day.  Pay attention and stay conscious to avoid the continual programming from media.   The programmers couldn’t care less about us, the people.  As a majority, we are much stronger than the minority that chooses to oppose us.

Hope this helps to fill in some blanks.  It’s a difficult world to navigate sometimes and voting doesn’t always seem to produce the desired results.  It takes time to affect change on the world–be patient.  Remember that voting could one day fall under the “use it or lose it” category, so make sure to stay engaged, and most importantly, GO VOTE!