As expected, Super Tuesday ended with a bang: it left us not only with questions about the weeks to come, but surprised by many of the results.
Constantly surrounded by young people enamored by Mr. Obama, I was surprised that the Democratic race wasn't even closer than it turned out, and I think many of us were surprised what a sweeping win McCain took-- we seem to be years away from the Iowa and I Heart Huckabee days.
But I think the biggest news for us right now is how much our votes here in the tiny state of Rhode Island have come to actually matter. It is a close enough race on the Democratic side that what each Rhode Islander checks off on the ballot will make a difference to this overall election year.
I read this article in the Projo online, "Rhode Island gains importance to Democrats" (by Scott MacKay and Mark Arsenault), after seeing it on the front page of the paper tonight. It discusses Clinton and Obama's work, as well as others', on trying to gain the attention of Rhode Islanders.
But why is this importance a surprise? Am I the only one who finds it frustrating that so many votes "don't make a difference anyway"? In our Democratic society, where we as Christians have the responsibility to stand up for the "preferential option for the poor" and for the lives of the unborn and the marginalized, why is it that our votes seem to mean so little? When I lived in Nebraska, no matter who I voted for, I knew the Republican candidate would win. Here in RI, I know it's going to be the Democrat. Thus, if I was interested in the less popular party, it would seem almost a waste of time to head to the voting booth.
Granted, if no one showed up to vote, this expectedness could no longer exist. But the question remains: how do we as "Democrats" (in the American sense of the word) make our vote count?
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I think you make a good point about how little each vote truly counts in the grand scheme of things. In all reality, when weighed against the costs of registering, going to the polls, and properly informing yourself on the candidates, the choice to vote seems like its an irrational decision. The costs heavily outweigh the benefits.
But, I think that is the nature of a large democracy. We live in a country of over 300 million people, and, though not all are eligible to vote, the one person, one vote policy guarantees that each person's voice is a small so as to be added to that of the many equally. To make this voice louder, however, I think citizens need to engage in civic participation past voting. Contributing and working on campaigns, joining and working with PACs, and participating in grassroots initiatives all significantly influence the policy direction of our federal and state governments perhaps greater than just voting alone.
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