From a young age in this country we are taught to appreciate the value of being able to vote. Starting as early as middle school, young students are given the opportunity to run for classroom council, as my school called it, or other mock-positions. We are taught that our voices matter, and that we should appreciate that fact. This trand continues through high school, until that illustrious day when we get to cast our first ballot. It’s interesting because in the environment of the most politically active school in the country, the refusal to vote is extremely rare, and people would never admit it if they didn’t participate. This passion and appreciation for the democratic system are the reasons that I would not be willing to live in a place without the option to vote.
While I do believe that there are flaws within the democratic system, and many people remain skeptical about the impact of just one vote, I believe voting is in some sense a form of nationalism in our country. Voting, in my opinion is a strong form of nationalism because of the obstacles that many American citizens had to face just to have that specific right. The United States was even founded on the belief that every citizen should have the right to be represented. Since then, groups like African Americans and women worked hard and dealt with hell in order to cast this one ballot. While It is true that most citizens take voting for granted, I think that living in a place where my opinions had no value would create a lack of enthusiasm for the prospects of change, and therefore progress. Additionally, democracy may not be perfect but it is the one system that has seemingly been working better than anything that has been tried before. Although it is not always apparent, the enthusiasm that many American have for power of opinion sets us apart in the global scheme of things.
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