People have a right not to comform

By Jenna Rodcay
Transcript Correspondent

Writing an article about not voting is pretty surreal right now because I’m actually very adamant about voting. So for all of the people who are freaking out a sentence into my editorial—hold your horses and let me explain.

I voted during the primaries for the candidate I share the most beliefs with and who I would like to see as our president.

Unfortunately, he is no longer in the race. Since then I have had several suggestions on what to do:
1.Write my candidates name in.
2.Vote along party lines.

Even if I go to the polls this election and write in my candidate’s name, he is not going to win. So why would I waste my time?

I understand that my vote counts, but to me, voting for someone who stands no chance against the democrat or republican candidates is absolutely pointless. And vote along party lines? That is one of the most ignorant ideas I’ve ever heard. I’ll admit that I lean to the right, but I don’t consider myself a Republican, and I don’t agree with most of Romney’s policies. To both of these “great” ideas, I say no.

I saw this a lot with the last election; democrats and republicans blame the other party for America’s problems and people think there is some magical wand these politicians can wave once they get elected to just make all of our problems go away.

But any sane person knows magic isn’t real and there is no wand that Romney or President Obama can wave to make things better. So maybe instead of looking at political ideology we should look at the bigger picture and realize that every administration has problems and makes mistakes. Maybe we should focus on what is right for America and not what’s right for the political parties.

Even our first president, George Washington, knew better than making decisions that way. He said “However (political parties) may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

In class the other day I learned about a recent political cartoon based off of Benjamin Franklin’s famous “Join or Die.” This time the snake was made up of facets of the Democratic Party talking about coming together to win the election and beating Romney. But is this really what America needs? To beat Romney? Or to beat Obama?

It is evident that our system is broken and I’m not saying I know how to fix it but that doesn’t mean I have to play into the two party system. And I do not deserve to be judged by anyone reading this for protesting against something I don’t agree with in my own way. I am not voting this election. I’m not saying this is the right choice for everyone, or even encouraging you not to vote, but this is the right choice for me.