I read with interest recent letters regarding our right to vote (and not vote) and at first I found myself agreeing that we should vote, that it is a right and one of the things that makes this such a great nation. But then I reflected more on it and I realized that it isn’t such a clear thing.
In this great nation we have the right to worship how we want but we don’t have a civic obligation to do so. We have the right to own firearms but we don’t have a civic responsibility to do so. We have freedom of speech but we don’t have a civic duty to open our mouths if we choose not to.
So I have to question why one would think it acceptable to scorn, scoff and judge people who don’t vote? We don’t know their reasons. Perhaps their English is not so good and they have trouble understanding the issues. Perhaps there are economic or educational barriers. People stay away from the ballot box in such droves that I have a difficult time believing that just laziness is to blame. Recognizing the reasons is the first, necessary step to finding solutions so maybe we should spend a little less time judging and a little more in understanding those reasons instead.
Besides, I’d rather have smaller turnouts of informed voters than masses of uninformed people voting on issues or candidates they don’t understand.
For instance, I know a few people who really like Donald Trump but you certainly won’t find me encouraging them to register to vote.
Ankur Mattu
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
