To Vote or Not to Vote?

That is the question.

Early voting started in the state of Ohio on Oct. 2.

You’ve surely seen the politically-active students with stacks of blank voter registration forms all over campus.  Maybe one has stopped you and asked, “Are you registered to vote?”  Maybe one has knocked on your door and asked, “Are you registered to vote?”  Maybe one has borrowed your shampoo in the showers at the gym and asked, “Are you registered to vote?”

As annoying as those adorable mini-lobbyist’s can be, they mean well.

We live in a country where we can actively choose our leader, who, consequently, happens to be one of the most powerful leaders in the world, arguably the most powerful, period.

You may think one vote doesn’t matter.  In fact, almost half of the country shares that mentality and chooses not to vote at all.  Yet, that half of the country, along with the people who did take the 10 minutes to vote, all seem to have an opinion when gas closes in on $4 a gallon and the old factory in their hometown closes and moves outside the country.

You say the government doesn’t listen.  I say you had your chance.

In the big scheme of things, maybe one vote doesn’t really matter, but a half million do.

It’s tough to follow politics, too, with every news outlet saying something different about the same issue.  And the advertising campaigns can be sickening at times.  Mitt Romney said this, Barack Obama didn’t say this, 47 percent, Obama-care, wanting to raise taxes, wanting to lower taxes, alternative energy, on-shore drilling, ENOUGH!

However, I do recommend you do some research on your own.  There are plenty of websites that compare President Obama and Mr. Romney, side-by-side, mano-y-mano.  Try and find something reputable, because there is some garbage on the web.

Decide which issues are most important to you, which candidate most agrees with your stance, and vote accordingly.

There’s a bumper sticker I’ve seen that reads, “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.”  A beautifully worded, unbiased statement that drives the point home.  Americans have the right to vote, a right people in some countries would die for, but many act as if it means nothing.  We the people truly do have the power, but only if we use it.

DISCLAIMER: I tried to keep this as unbiased as possible.  I was raised in a conservative home, am a registered Republican and a member of the Ohio University College Republicans.  Additionally, I was listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Greatest Hits album while writing this article, but I don’t believe I was unfair to either side.