What is the value of your vote?
I remember as a grown boy how thrilling it was casting my first vote for the president of the United States of America. My understanding at the time was pretty limited, (though it seemed the more I know concerning politics in general, the more convoluted it seems to become, thus it feels that I understand less…. paradoxical), but I remember all the older adults talking about how good Regan was for the American Family. World finance wasn’t another of my strong points, but I have to admit, Christmases had been bigger, and my family was taking longer and more vacations; it made sense to me. So in 1984 I was off to cast my very first vote for Ronald Regan. Honestly it was a bit exciting. I felt like this was the first important “thing” I was doing as a young adult – voting for “The President of the United States of America”! It felt even better when Reagan remained president for another year…. Hey, my vote really counts!
By 1988 I had moved to California, had been married several years, and had been working as an apprentice painter. Money was good, and hey, I was making it in the Golden State! I knew little more about politics and finance than I had 4 years prior, but things were going well and I was hardly starving. I know the republican I voted for 4 years prior reinforced my prosperity, but Michael Dukakis had been the governor of my birth state since I could remember. I remember learning in school that Michael Dukakis was elected over an incumbent republican in a time of financial disparity. I figured Dukakis must be a financial/political wizard to make the commonwealth so healthy during his reign. This and my affinity for the lifestyle I was living helped me cast my losing vote for Dukakis.
Since then I have graduated from college, and have become a professional painter. As I gain experience and the closer I look at politics and world finance, the more complex it seems. In fact, at this point, little of it makes much sense to me other than individuals and groups striving for money and power (quite human). Much of it feels to me to as it has little to do with society or citizenship. Today, this is my opinion of what my vote for the president is actually worth:
The US government really wants me to think my vote counts, but in all actuality, my vote is never “really” counted. Rather it’s lumped in with the electoral process, a process that is fundamentally flawed in that it is possible for a candidate with fewer actual votes to win an election.
As an example: Candidate Murphy receives 51% and candidate Williams receives 49% of the popular vote in a state, and the state has 12 electoral votes, then candidate Murphy wins all 12 of the electoral votes of that state. The flaw is in that the Electoral College is disproportionately represented by smaller states that may result in election of the candidate who has received fewer votes.
But I jump the gun. First off, I don’t really think I get to choose whom I vote for to start with; world finance, special interest groups, and elite politicians have done that for me via the electoral process by means of various caucuses/primaries. This is where the Big Dogs hang out at very expensive gatherings to pick who I get to vote for; isn’t that nice of them?
So what this amounts to is first Big Business, special interest groups and elite politicians choose whom I can vote for (for the most part), then I cast my vote that may or may not reflect my actual choice by the time it goes through the electoral process. Really, it’s looks to me as my vote technically does not count.
So Big Money, elite politicians and special interest groups chose for whom I get to vote for in the presidential election. Then I cast my personal vote, which gets lumped into a potentially flawed electoral system. Hhmmm. What is the face value of my vote?
So what this makes me feel is that my citizenry voice, my vote, is really negligible and comes out as a very weak whisper. I suppose I should be thankful that I have a whisper, as some other countries don’t offer even that to their subjects. So even though my puny whisper is hardly negligible, it’s pretty much the loudest message I have when it comes to the presidential election.
How big do you feel your voice is when it comes to casting your vote for the US President?