Register to VOTE

My Granddaughter turned 18 last month and she went to register to vote. I was there to take her photo, because registering to vote in our family is a big deal. Exercising our right to vote is important. Women started trying to get the right to vote in 1848 and it was not until 1920 and the 19th Amendment that they were allowed to vote. Those 72 years it took was worth it.

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the U.S. Presidential Election will be held for all 435 members of the United States House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 members of the United States Senate. On that day, only 60%-70% of American registered voters are projected to exercise their right to vote. That is a really sad percentage! And just think about all the people who are not registered to vote.

If you are over 18 years old you need to register to vote for state and federal elections in your state of residence. Why? Because it is your duty as well as a privilege of being a citizen of the United States of America. The right to vote is important for all citizens to vote in every election. American citizens who do not vote lose their voice in the democratic process and that in turn hinders the voice of our elected representatives in the U.S. Congress as they work to effectively represent the political opinions of the constituency of their state. It upsets me when I hear people complaining about elected officials and things happening in our city, state, or federal government when they did not vote. I feel that if they did not vote they do not have the right to complain.