Vote for anyone

In a recent study, Indiana came in 48th out of the 50 states in voter turnout in the 2010 election, with only about 39 percent of eligible voters actually taking the time to exercise their Constitutional right.

For those of you keeping score at home, 48th puts us well below the bottom
10 percent.

Why are we such slackers? It could be a lot of things. Indiana has very strict voter ID laws, which might make it more difficult for some, but that would affect a relatively small portion of the population.

It could be voter disenchantment with the process, candidates or the fact that you can’t buy booze on Election Day.

For those who believe only national elections are worthy of their attention, it might be that the margin of victory in close races is usually in the thousands, so why should they care about their one vote?

Maybe people don’t think about anything because they’re content. Or maybe they’re just lazy.

Whatever the reason, you should vote. Not because you’re going to sway the outcome of a national election — though in a block of similarly minded voters, you might.

You should vote, especially in local elections, because they often have a direct impact on your life.

You should vote, because the democratic process is well–served by an engaged citizenry.

You should vote, because people have fought, and died, for 200-plus years so that
you could.

Now, if we’ve done what we aimed to do, you should be asking, “When’s the next election?” We’re glad you asked.

On Nov. 8, in less than two months, Bloomington will have its city election.

There aren’t many contested races, and there aren’t any obvious reasons for you to vote, but if students voted we might see our interests represented in a way they might not have been in city government.

If that reason doesn’t suit you, pick any of those listed above.

Take the time, register to vote, and vote. If not for noble reasons, do it so we can do better than 48th the next time around.