My track team was deciding on a dinner location and Texas Roadhouse was the first choice. But when we got there, they told us there would be a loooong wait. Outside we deliberated on two options; getting take out from Texas Roadhouse or going to Red Lobster.
My heart was set on having a sweet potato for dinner and I initially agreed to Texas Roadhouse because I was promised a sweet potato. This orange delight is not offered at Red Lobster, so going there would be to my unsatisfaction.
There were 10 athletes. We took a vote. A democratic vote. Five people voted for Red Lobster. Then when my option's vote came, two people voted for take out. ONLY TWO! THREE PEOPLE DIDN'T VOTE! They said they "don't care". Well, I FRICKEN DID. Had they voted with me, it would have tied the vote and I would have had a real shot on getting my beautiful sweet potato.
But naaaaah. Here, and in real life, the people who choose to not participate in the democracy we live in has a profound effect. America usually has a 60% voter turnout, a little less than my 70% turnout. Apparently, some 90 MILLION people didn't vote in the election (2012 Voter Turnout Report). They easily could have changed the result to a more favorable outcome for others, or it may have kept things the same and further validated the nation's preferred choice.
Democracies work to accommodate what the people want. If the vote is close to 50/50 or if it's a majority, it really helps to show what the nation is thinking. Maybe having a "none of the above" option would be able to convey voters dissatisfaction if the 40% who didn't vote did it because they had no preference.
Regardlessly, if you don't vote because you hate all the candidates or because you "don't care", just remember, some poor person is really adamant about one of them and if you don't want to be part of a democratic society for yourself, do it for your friends who have a shot at getting the food- I mean, the candidate, they want.
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