Shame on all of us

The right to vote, a freedom so desired that it has led to the waging of wars and the crumbling of countries. And now, we must be bribed by a $60,000 Corvette to mark their ballot?\nFirstly, I support the IU Student Association\'s campaign to motivate students to vote with the incentive of winning a car. Something has to be done to encourage participation in elections. But, I remain in disbelief at our nation's indifference to the course of political action. \nI cannot altogether say that my hands are clean of this crime. I played my part in conveniently forgetting to vote in the summer's Bloomington election, which had an incredibly low voter turn-out. After learning that it now takes the enticement of a car to do something that some countries can today only dream of, something that Americans gave their lives for, I realized this immunity to our civil liberties can no longer be ignored. \nThe numbers of votes cast in the 2000 presidential election is nothing short of depressing, disappointing and embarrassing. When only a portion of our population is concerned with the fate of our country, the election of our nation's leader, what does that say? There are those who complain that their ballot does not make a difference, since the ultimate decision is in the hands of the Electoral College. The Electoral College simply reflects those ideas of the people; an institute established near the dawn of the United States because of the low percentage of literacy. \nThe government was afraid that voters reading inabilities at that time could incorrectly skew the election's outcome. Of course now, that idea holds little precedence since the country is highly literate, so the electoral vote usually, but not always, follows the popular vote. This whole system probably should change, but that's a whole other topic. Anyway, the people still have a powerful influence in the presidential decision, and choosing not to act upon this right is sheer ignorance.\nWe seem to overlook far too often that this right extends to our states and cities. People can't even try to use the "my vote doesn't count" excuse here. So why didn't I take part in Bloomington's last election? If I ponder over the question, I might try to weasel out the lame excuse of unfamiliarity with the issues and candidates since I'm not originally from the area. But that just kind of makes me sound stupid since attending IU therefore makes me a part of the Bloomington community and somewhat of a local. And, it doesn't take a lot to become familiar with a candidate platform. So, overall, I probably would have to blame it on my own laziness. Bad me. But, I see the error of my ways, and recognize that not taking part in local elections is no longer acceptable today in the United States. \nWe all want our voices heard, and one outlet is our right to vote. Sure, voting for a city council position is not voting for the president, but it's still a vote, and it's still part of being an American. I'm not trying to get all patriotic, but this goes to the very heart of the existence of this country, no matter how many years ago the Constitution was written. Our freedoms to vote define this country. Who are we if we don't take advantage of this? When the local election rolls around, go out and vote, not because you can win a really awesome ride, but because it's part of who you are as an American.