We all know that many people have made immeasurable sacrifices over the years to win us the right to vote. Yet many of us still do not exercise this right. I think this may stem, in part, from some common misconceptions. A few years ago I did not vote regularly, for some of the reasons I discuss here. Too often we are only told that we should vote ``because it is a civic duty.''
Voting does not mean you buy into the system. I cannot emphasize this enough. People may try to claim that you cannot complain because you voted for a certain candidate, or that by casting a vote you accept any action of the government. They are just blowing hot air. If an election is truly rigged it makes sense to boycott that election. This helps avoid giving that government a phony claim of legitimacy. If an election is fair, though, you should use your vote as one more way to be heard. Especially if the government is corrupt. Do not be intimidated by the polling place. The people there should be happy to help you. (If you are intimidated that is even more reason to show up.)
A third party vote is not a wasted vote. If you think of voting as simply a contest in which you try to end up with the least objectionable candidate in office, a third party vote may seem wasted. In a tight race, where the frontrunners have significantly different philosophies, this ``lesser of evils'' strategy makes sense. Otherwise, though, vote with your political beliefs. The platforms and positions of parties are not fixed, nor is the respectability accorded to different political beliefs. If a third party garners a significant fraction of the vote, its views will be taken more seriously. The major parties, seeing a large block of voters to court, may begin to shift their positions to attract some of those voters. Even a write-in vote for a cartoon character is better than staying home. It sends its own message of dissatisfaction with the slate of candidates -- and that you came out to the voting booth to express that dissatisfaction. (On that note, a vote in a primary can be more influential than a vote in the main election.)
Your vote does matter. The odds are that an election will not swing on a few votes; that is just stating the obvious. A few elections will, but your vote is not wasted even if the winning candidate has a wide margin of victory. We need to stop looking at an election purely as a contest in which one person wins and the others lose. That is an important aspect, of course, but the power of a vote also comes from its promise of future votes. Politicians and political analysts break votes down by geographic area, by age, by income, by race, and by dozens of other categories. A category that is not well represented is a category of people whose interests can be ignored. Amplify your vote: Speak out politically; convince a friend to vote, too.
Politics do affect you. In countless ways, direct and indirect. Even in the climate of how people interact with each other. No one should expect miracles just by voting, but it only takes a little effort to make it a regular habit.