Abraham Lincoln, in the Gettysburg Address, called on Americans to be dedicated to the continuance of a government unique among the nations – one of the people, by the people, and for the people. Indeed, the US system of government is one predicated on the idea that those in positions of leadership are as much representatives as they are leaders. Our government was not intended to be one of authority over the people, but rather one of service to the people. The people are to hold authority over the government, not the other way around.
Thus, when the time comes for us to cast a vote in any election, we are not saying who we want to make particular decisions so much as we are saying who we want to represent us. A vote for any government official is unavoidably an endorsement of a person as a representative of my values.
In modern politics and American culture, this has been forgotten. Or perhaps not forgotten, but rather intentionally erased from public discourse. It has been erased by those on both sides who have greater concern for power and influence than for service and representation, as well as by a citizenry which has forgotten the value of those characteristics. We have turned politics into a game, trading in representation for the cheap thrill of winning. For those who are unpersuaded by cheap thrills, fear and hate masquerading as reason typically do the trick.
This is not what America was intended to be. This experiment in liberty and limited government was not intended to devolve into a battle between jerseys. It was intended to be a way to help each other, a way to live out our separate lives according to our own consciences without interference from a ruling class. The government exists to protect and insure our freedoms. Voting allows us to make sure our principles and values are represented in that government.
But today, we are told that voting is a binary choice. One of two people, or one of two parties, will be in charge. You may not like it, but you had better get used to it, suck it up, and choose one of the two. Even if a third party more perfectly represents our values, we are told that it is not only a waste to vote for them, but in fact it is tantamount to voting for the enemy. Such absurd logic is against the spirit of all that America was founded upon, and aside from being unpatriotic, it is simply wrong.
A vote is not a form of currency, but rather a statement about what I believe in. To cast a vote is to endorse someone in representing me and what I hold dear. To use a vote as mere political currency is to devalue the sacrifice of all who began our incredible nation. They did not sacrifice their lives and livelihood so that we could make (often bogus) mathematical calculations about how to “spend” our vote. They made those sacrifices for the sake of freedom – so that the people might be truly free and properly represented. Therefore, it is the one who sells this endorsement for the cheap thrill of “winning” and the one who gives away their endorsement out of fear – it is that person who throws away their vote. It is that person who votes for their enemy, because their enemy is the one who seeks to control them. Their enemy is the one who attempts to deny them proper representation through fear tactics and cheap thrills. Their enemy is the one who cons them into endorsing evil simply by claiming to be less evil than the other option.
“The Founders,” writes Stephen Weese, “never envisioned an endless cycle of United States citizens voting for the ‘lesser of two evils’.” Indeed they did not. For the founders, and for all those who made sacrifices as our nation was born, to vote was to make our voices heard. To have a vote was to have representation within a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. To ignore that gift and give it away to those who neither honor it nor deserve it – that is the true definition of wasting a vote. And we will forever be wasting our votes as a nation if we continue to allow this kind of manipulation. However, if, like myself and many others, you want to truly have a voice, if you want to have meaningful representation, then don’t allow yourself to be conned any longer. Value the right to vote. Treat it as treasure, and expect the candidates and parties to earn it. America can return to the roots that once made it strong and once again be a nation of unique vision and opportunity. The American experiment can continue, but only if we will stop wasting our votes.