When my niece was about 7 she asked me: "Would you still love me if I were a Republican?" And, I did stop to think...finally I said "Of, course I would." Now that niece is 21 years old. I found out yesterday she didn't vote. She knows how important voting is to me...and in case she didn't my text messages and emails should have reminded her. If that didn't tell her, she could have read hundreds of blog posts I have written about politics and my disappointment/despair over election outcomes. Now I have a question for her: "If you love me, why didn't you vote?" She could have voted to help keep Allen West from winning. I guess I don't understand because it is her generation that will suffer most from the policies set by Rick Scott, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio.
I have a Democratic niece, she didn't vote in this midterm election, and that really sucks.
39 comments:
If you weren't a person who was this involved in politics, I would take her not voting as laziness. Because I have been reading your blog for quite some time, I can see how you are taking this more personally. It would be like Bristol Palin not voting.
That doesn't work, it said she didn't vote in the Miami Herald this morning.
Late election night, I went to bar with several Dem friends. NOT one waitress or bartender at the bar had voted. NONE could name the candidates for FL governor. One even asked "is today the last day" as the TV over her head blasted the results. When we told her the GOP had won most of the races, she asked "is Obama still going to be president?"
We need internet voting, pronto.
What bar was that? I could go do interviews.
My freshman at Elmhurst nephew didn't request his absentee ballot either. And I'm right there with you...
Every citizen's part time job should be politics!
Its just shameful, shameful that soo many people did not vote!
My only satisfaction is that those who did not vote will now suffer for a few years and then they should know enough to vote.
If my children wouldn't have voted in this dramatically important election... I would have slashed my wrists because that would have meant I didn't teach them the importance of their civic duty. I understand your disgust (?) at being confronted with what I consider a tragedy. It is a tragedy that we have again fallen in the hands of the dishonest Republicans. Maybe we should get ready for more terrible things; one of the commentators on MSNBC mentioned that the serious Republicans are talking Jeb Bush for the next presidential election. I guess, I still might have to go ahead with the wrist slashing, even if my children continue to vote!
And her answer was?
Haven't asked the question except here on my blog... My family and many of my friends do not bother to read my blog...irksome isn't it?
Most millennials and many Gen Xers were missing in action in this election. Obama captured them in his election, but once elected, he left them hanging and they went back to their old ways. There are a lot of evil leadership types in the babyboomer generation who are selfish, value money over everything else, and are intent on destroying this country before they leave. The boomers will have to do the heavy-lifting to keep them at bay until we all leave. Soon the millennials and Gen Xers are going to begin running for office, and we need to welcome them when they appear.
I didn't vote either; didn't like ANY of the choices...period.
We need internet voting, pronto.
Why do we need more fools voting?
The more people I meet the less people I think should vote.
Our government be it dominated by Demoblicans or Republicrats is a refleccion of the voting public.
We have Obama and we had BUSH (face it both suck) and so do most senators, governors, congressmen, mayors, state senators, state reps, commissioners and councilpersons.
Your nieces vote wouldn't have changed that. Go drink some wine, pop a xanax and light up a blunt it will all come to you, and if it doesn't you'll at least have one hell of a buzz.
"I didn't vote either; didn't like ANY of the choices...period."
Any of the choices in the gubernatorial or senate race or any of the choices in any race? And, if the latter, REALLY? There was really NO CANDIDATE you liked running for any office? Sounds like you need to do more research or run yourself.
I suspect the younger generation only votes in presidential elections. I worked early and election day voting, and I saw very few under 30's. The ones I did see were in tow of a parent.
"I didn't vote either; didn't like ANY of the choices...period."
Personally, I believe this is the general feeling most potential voters have. I think that all of the negative mudslinging ads have a lot to do with it. The general public doesn't know who or what to believe anymore, and are turned-off completely.. a feeling of hopelessness.
Not voting is not an alternative. You don't have to like either candidate, just pick the best one for the appointments they will make to boards, judges, heads of departments and staff cuts they will be able make. Forgetting all else, this is where we lose the biggest. Also who would you want vetoing? I would have wanted Sink for all of those reasons. Republcan Senate, House and Governor -- we are screwed and your vote for no one was stupid.
excuse me, my no vote would have been Republican, so who's the stupid one?
The Eye in the logo has too much pink in it. Put some more white in it so that everyone understands the view is very clear.
You are. Not voting is not an option for anyone.
Pink eyes could mean you are looking at everything rosey!
Pink eye is a catchy eye disease so be careful ,,,spreads easily
The bar was Hooters in Doral.
Not sure if this will make you feel better or worse, but I watched a rerun of Florida This Week on WEDU today and Susan McManus quoted the statistic that of all the people who voted in this election, only 8% were under the age of 30.
I tried to get my daughter's former classmates at New College to rally behind Amendment 4 to no avail.
I'm not sure if the problem is apathy, ennui or the feeling that there were no real choices.
My son did not vote. But I think he felt badly. I think he will vote next time. Another young friend of mine refuses to vote. It is as if he thinks its evil or something. We have a big problem here. How do you solve it?
Good question.
Maybe they will come to their senses when they come to the conclusion that if they don't want their parent's picking out thieir clothes and music, they ought not to want them picking out the people who represent them as their elected officials.
Jill - my niece is at New College too.
Florida's best and brightest.
Scary they don't seem to take politics seriously there.
Maybe they don't plan to stay in-state and just don't care enough to be involved.
But, it's disappointing.
The failure of our young adults to grasp the relevance of voting in their lives is partially a failure of our educational system and partly a lack of political and civic dialogue with them. We need to bring back civics, take youth and teens to Tallahassee and get them involved in campaigns. My three young adult children voted because I hounded them relentlessly, two had absentee ballots and they went over the candidates and amendments with me, the third voted at early voting. parents have to start taking their children with them to vote, and instill the critical importance of declaring your preference by voting. Sadly, in this 2010 election, too many democrats sat it out and now all of Florida will suffer the consequences.
Let me start by saying that I always voted unless I was in Canada, where, as a landed immigrant, I did not have the right.
My husband and I were talking about how, when we were young, we really didn't pay that much attention to politics. Other things took up our time that seemed far more important. Along with our ignorance of the politics of the day came the uneducated calmness that everything was going to be okay.
Now that we are older, we are always watching and reading. I read this blog at least once a day. We are reminded of the doom and gloom at an overwhelming rate. Media and social networking constantly remind us that the corporate take over of our country is complete. Bad food and bad energy policies will eventually destroy us all. Any gain made in the last two years will be gone.
Perhaps the people that don't know what is going on are happier than those of us that do. Perhaps ignorance is really bliss!
Ignorance is bliss last writer. I am reminded of what my father did in the late 60's he tuned out the news. No newspaper or news shows. He said if something important happened he would hear about it.
However, those of who want to leave a better world cannot tune out. Wish we could. Read my Friday post about what can happen when you isolate yourself...
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-old-is-too-old-by-geniuofdespair.html
I did read it. Sad. Hope I die while I'm still young, say, 90. I wouldn't let my husband turn on the news for a couple of days after the election, and am only able to stomach a little Jon Stewart and Bill Mahr.
I think the difference now is that we have children and we do want to leave a better world for them. I have one daughter in Canada and I tell her to stay there. She has great health insurance, and the economy, although not the best, is nowhere near as bad as ours. Still, at 22, she doesn't pay attention to politics anywhere near what we do. Many younger people live day to day.
tom
"Any gain made in the last two years will be gone."
Gain in what?(Anon)
Debt?
Government Growth?
Loss of personal choice?
That sort of growth has been going on for eons.
G.O.D. Take off the partisan blinders in 06 and 08 you were praising the intellegence of voters now because things don't go your way the same folks are now ignorant?
At least I'm consistent I've been saying their clueless for 30 years.
My husband and I are 24. We both voted. Proudly. I know that the under-30 crowd have been getting a bad rap for not showing up at the polls in mass numbers, but please realize that there are a few among us who understand the privilege and responsibility that comes from being an American citizen.
The first time I was old enough to vote was against Bush in 2004. Mine was among the "lost" absentee ballots in Lee County, and I felt robbed of my voice. Now I will vote in-person for every election. Maybe seeing our state run by Rick Scott for a few years will be the wake-up call my peers so desperately need.
Anonymous -- I never said voters are smart. What I said was -- in relation to Amendment 4 only --- the damn thing only came to voters AFTER it was already approved by commissioners so what havoc could the voters cause, what do we have to lose? They could either ratify or dismiss the vote. It was already passed so I had a 50% chance of getting it un-passed -- better than zero. It was always a gamble but with increased odds.
Since the developments were happening in their neighborhoods, I thought they would be more cognizant of the issue and vote from self-interest (the way most people vote except for middle class repubs because they vote against their interest -- helping the rich -- even if they are poor -- waiting for that trickle down nonsense). Don't try to distill me down to a neat package -- what I said in previous posts was more intricate than 'voters are smart.'
My girls voted. I know they know that there is much at stake. I have always engaged them politically and they went to the poll with me when I voted.
Maybe we need to have voting "play rooms" so parents with kids can let the kids play while the parents stand in line and vote. People with kids could not stay there with the lines in the last election. Libraries could have story time or movie time.
Sadly, I think your niece's decision and the decision of so many written about on this blog, is a reflection of the distrust that the young people have for our current political system. My generation had hope that things might improve and we struggled to make positive changes. This generation is inundated with information and, as a result, is painfully aware of the corruption inherent in today's political world. I believe they just don't see the point in participating. These kids grew up having mock elections at their schools, so it's not that they don't understand the process. And, please, we don't need to provide baby-sitting! Everyone can use absentee ballots, if there's a hardship getting to the polls with young children. Perhaps, as some have suggested, it's selfishness on their part, but I really don't think so. I think their disengagement is genuine.
totally agree with the last post... sad but true.
How to change that? Why are the best brains not pondering the question and expanding our notion of educating our young about government and the electoral process, by teaching them about the struggle of other countries and the very real consequences of not caring? Asking first graders to line up and vote in mock elections for candidates running for the President of the United States always seemed somewhat absurd. My son voted for Ross Perot because his best friend did!! We almost died. They should have real elections about issues that matter to them -- the amount of time for recess, or I don't know what. At the same time, gradually teach them about government and politics from a broad, historical perspective, not just from the perspective of the short history of the U.S. We need to reverse their disengagement from this subject in the same way that schools are effectively engaging students in environmental issues.
Kids don't vote because they don't think it is important. it is nothing new.
And interenet voting would open yet another way to steal an election.
Teach Civics and take your kids to vote. talk to them about how government affects their lives as they grow up. that is how you get them to vote when they can.
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