Vote! It's not that Hard.

I've always been one who follows politics closely, and care deeply about the issues that face us all. Usually, I find myself significantly vested in the outcome of Election Day. This year, even my dedication to the process has been tested. Not that I would ever consider not voting, but it's easy for me to see why those who are not typically interested would be completely turned off this year. 

As a staunch liberal, I naturally lean Democrat on the ballot. Well, maybe "lean" isn't the right word considering I can never envision a scenario that would cause me to cast a vote for a Republican. But I still refuse to register as a Democrat, because I feel that party is also beholden to many of the same special interests. This is what causes so many people to say that both parties are the same. The truth couldn't be farther from that. While neither party serves the public in a way that we should expect our governing branches to serve us, one party does value, and vote, with many of the issues that I hold dear. 

One of the things that shocks me about this election season is all of the momentum that seems to be on the side of the Republicans, though I suppose it's less on their side as it's against Obama. So the very people who are going to vote these horrible people into office seem to have no idea that Republicans have controlled the House for years, which has obstructed any progress from going forward. This non-action is one of the major things that fuels these voters frustrations, and in response, they going to give those very politicians control over both houses of Congress. So even though new polls show that more than two-thirds of Americans support raising the minimum wage, more than half support gay marriage, more than half support legalization of marijuana, more than half support immigration reform which includes a path to citizenship, and more than half support women's equality....all Democratic positions...they are going to essentially vote against their beliefs in order to send a message to a lame duck President. Yeah, that's smart.

On the other side, Democrats have fallen into old habits of running without a spine, refusing to explain the accomplishments that have been achieved simply because it's too hard to shout over the misinformation their opponents have been spewing for years. Though I voted for them again this year, I didn't vote on the Democratic party line. I voted for the candidates on the "Working Families," "Independence," and "Women's Equality" party lines, because if we don't start getting other parties involved, we're going to continue playing this losing game forever. Plus, I wanted that party to see that they are losing my support, even if their candidates are not.

Even with all of my misgivings, there was never a question of not voting. The less we vote, the easier it is for them to continue to not pay attention to us. So go out and vote! Be heard!