When Doing the Wrong Thing is the Right Thing to Do.

When Doing the Wrong Thing is the Right Thing to Do

Michael Cannata

            In 2016, for only the second time in my 66 years, I registered to vote. I was inspired because of Bernie Sanders' decision to enter the presidential race. Sanders is a man that I had come to admire as an example of a man who had served his country honorably. Over his entire career he has been one of only two independent Senators in our Congress.

            I truly felt he was the only man capable of bringing the two parties together. He has a history of being able to support the best side of an issue regardless of what side of the aisle it came from. He had the respect of virtually all the members of Congress. While I was disappointed that he dropped his independent status and joined the Democratic field, I still felt he had a good chance of winning. And he did, until his own party sabotaged his efforts and backed Hillary Clinton. I knew his cause was lost, long before the Democratic Convention.

            I have always taken politics very seriously. So seriously, that I realized early on that our country has never been interested in what I or people like me think. I believe it should be a law that people must go to the polls and vote. Conversely, until we give them the options to express their opinions on the candidates, people have no choice but to stay home. Almost 50% of the eligible voter never went to the polls in 2016. I believe, as I always have, that our election system is not designed with people like me in mind. I am in the majority in that sense.

            A good friend declared that, unless we vote, we lose our right to complain. He said, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

            I don't believe that by failing to vote one loses their right to complain. My major complaint has always been that, unless you are willing to support a candidate from the two major parties, our elected officials would prefer that you stay home. And please don't give me that "you can write in any name you want" argument.

            As long as we are given the same old problems (candidates) there is no solution.

            There is nothing "silent" about the voice of the almost 50% of eligible voters that boycotted the election. The problem lies in the country's refusal to register those votes in a category where they can be counted and have their voice be heard.

            Suggesting that people vote for people from alternative parties just because they are on the ballot is just as much a way of saying your vote is wasted. In recent years so many politicians who have won office with a bare 25% of eligible voters have declared that they have a "mandate" to their credit; which, of course, is far from the truth.

            When it comes time for our congressmen and senators to vote on a bill or issue before them, members have the right to abstain. They basically remain neutral on an issue and don't cast a vote. These moves are counted but they have no part in deciding the issue being voted on.

            In Nevada, they have the right to choose "None of the above." Voters should have the right to do the same and have their opinions counted. If we want voters to use their voice, give them the proper platform. Voting for candidates from alternative parties with no realistic chance of winning is like asking people to talk with a pillow over their face. It's pointless to use your voice when it will never be heard.

            Voting for fringe candidates who have no chance of winning is a wasted vote and a silent voice. These are candidates who aren't even allowed the opportunity to stand with those from the two major parties onstage in nationally televised debates. A vote for them is akin to betting on a horse that's been scratched before the race even starts. It is a waste of money.

            I had intended to vote in the November elections, but after talking with my friend I have reconsidered. I don't want to vote for a candidate because he is the other party's candidate and thus is opposed to Trump. Voting against the lesser evil isn't something I can do. If I don't believe in a candidate in a personal way, if I don't believe that they are the best person for the job, I can't in good conscience vote for them.

            The one thing Trump has been right about is that the elections are rigged. I think the majority of Americans who stay away from the polls believe it too.

            To imagine that half of the country just doesn't care, that they have become too apathetic, is to disregard a lot of people who feel they are not fairly represented by either party. It isn't apathy when you stop caring about people who don't care about you. Perhaps it is our country that doesn't care about them... unless they are part of their rigged two party election system.

            And right now the system gives them no incentive and no means to express their true opinion about the candidates. They are given no means of voting against a candidate. Nevada does and it has served them well. As far as I know "None of the above" has won over the candidates on the ballot. The candidate who got the most votes still won the election But, at least, by official count, they knew for sure that the majority of voters didn't want either of them.

            Americans across the country should be able to do the same. Sometimes saying "None of the above" is the only way a citizen can voice their opinion. And that is a choice our country should offer them if we really want to bring people to the polls.

            They're called polling places for a reason. They're not just for registering votes...  they are meant to poll the citizens on their opinions.

            Votes matter. Opinions matter as well. Just because people don't vote, that doesn't mean they have no right to their opinion.