November is coming, and you might be thinking: “Does one person really swing an election? Why bother voting?”
Every election cycle, between 35 and 60 percent of eligible voters don’t turn out, many because they don’t see how one vote (theirs) can make a difference.
The idea that your vote doesn’t matter is not only untrue but represents a dangerous path toward passivity that Catholics and conservatives can’t afford in today’s political climate.
First, elections – even presidential elections – can hinge on a handful of votes. In 2000, the presidential election went to George W. Bush because of just 537 voters in one Florida county who gave the state and its electoral votes to the Texan.
Even if it’s not that close in your county, you won’t just be voting for the next president. You will also be voting for policies, referenda, and representatives who will make everyday decisions for your city and your state. These down-ballot items make even more of a difference in the everyday lives of Americans than the presidential election.
You may live in a state where your candidate of choice is unlikely to win. But your vote sends a message to the ultimate election winners.
Elected officials and their staff (who exercise massive power at all levels of government) aren’t just paying attention to who won. They want to know by what margins and why they won – even if it’s just to try to win your vote the next time around.
And that translates into policy and how aggressive they are with their agenda.
Especially if you are a conservative in the middle of a blue state, your vote shows everyone watching that you will not passively allow progressive ideology to destroy America.
We fight not only to win an election but to save the United States of America. We vote to protect our freedom. We vote to honor our faith. And we vote to win – either in the short term or long term.
