In our election-eve issue of our News & Action e-newsletter, we asked our audience to respond to a simple question: why does voting matter to you?
Here are a few of our favorite responses:
- "I vote because once upon a time, people who look like me (female, African American) couldn't vote. It would be a shame to waste this important civil right by staying home on Election Day. Oh, and I like getting the 'I Voted' sticker for my lapel!"
- "Voting matters to me because it's much more than annoying to watch elected officials implement unconstitutional, regressive policies and know that you could have done something to prevent it. When we think of the many European countries with family-friendly policies in areas like health care, environmental planning, and pension benefits - it's almost certainly because many of them make voting mandatory. Because it's one area in our society in which the poor can have as much influence as the rich, if they choose to get involved."
- "Because no one has any business taking for granted a precious right fought and bled for by suffragists, Freedom Riders, Black Americans, and so many brave citizens."
Do you have a good reason? Write to us and let us know your thoughts. The first ten responses win a free commemorative ACLU 90th Anniversary t-shirt!
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