The will of the people is the best law.
How appropriate for me to get that fortune now, what with all sorts of electoral contests happening across the state and nation. But there was a deeper meaning to this fortune, and it took a day to reveal itself to me.
Yesterday afternoon, I braved the spontaneous deluge to trek up College Hill to vote in the primary elections. When I got to my polling place, I parked my car and walked around the corner, hoping I wouldn't have to wait in line too long (it was my lunch break, after all). I stepped through the threshold and was instantly met with applause from the five volunteers working the polling location. Apparently, they hadn't had a voter in over 45 minutes and they were beginning to worry.
"What number am I today?" I asked with quzzical concern.
The lady trying to find my sticker looked up through her too-big-for-her-head glasses and spoke softly in response: "Thirty-seven."
It was 1:30 in the afternoon. Polls opened at 7:00 AM. That's 5.7 voters per hour. Which is less than lackluster- it's pathetic. I spoke to my friend who was deeply entrenched in a campaign in Woonsocket, and she said that their was a weak turnout all across the state. Which frankly saddens me a bit.
True, it's called a "right" to vote, which means that it is something that can be exercised and not mandatory, but it really is our civic duty to be active participants in our presents and futures. Even though this election wasn't as prominent on the public radar (apparently, there's some other big important race going on right now...), it's still equally as important. The outcomes of this election will determine national and local policies for years to come. Granted, it was raining, and many of the primary candidates ran uncontested or were in races that were going to be landslides, but I still don't see that as an excuse. Some people in other countries wait in line for hours, or brave constant threat of violence or death, yet still manage to cast their vote. Yeah, it's the same line your mother gave you when you didn't want to finish your dinner: "You know, some children in other countries don't have anything to eat..." But in a way, it makes sense.
Lethargic voters are as much to blame for "business as usual" as self-serving policymakers (I'm speaking in generalizations here, of course) are, and if there's a public call for change, well, head to the polls and make it happen. We all have a voice, and when we choose to not use it, it affects everyone around us.
I guess my whole reasoning behind this is because I cannot even fathom the fact that some registered voters will not vote in the upcoming presidential election. This is perhaps the single most important presidential race of our lives. This is our '60. Barack Obama has issued a call for change, and he is doing his part by changing the way he runs his election. In fact he had this to say about the way John McCain and his Republican machine are run their election and their machine:
"...I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift Boat politics. Enough is enough."
We should all feel this way about our country. Especially now. I don't think I could personally deal with another four years of mismanagement and deceit. That's why I, and millions of others, are an active part of this campaign. Because right now, contrary to what my fortune proclaimed, the law of the land is not the will of its' people. So I'm going to do my part in changing that. I'm going to vote. And so should you.
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