537

Five hundred and thirty-seven. That was the number of votes that decided the 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. 537.

Many people refuse to vote because they believe that one vote won't make a difference. In 1977 the mayoral race in Ann Arbor, MI was decided by a single vote. A single vote. Ann Arbor is home of the University of Michigan. It's not a small town.

This is the third presidential election I've been able to vote in. I've voted in every primary/special/mayoral/congressional/gubernatorial/presidential race that I've been eligible to vote in. I've voted in 3 elections just this year.

Don't believe that your vote won't change anything? Don't tell me it doesn't matter. There are very few things that are more important than this. There are very few times when you get to have a say in how this country operates and have someone actually listen.

You have a choice to make.Will you sit there all day willing to play the cards that everyone else deals you, or will you go out and make yourself heard? Will you go out and vote because you're sick of jobs being shipped overseas? Will you go out and vote because you're sick of choosing cars that don't even meet China's fuel efficiency standards? Will you go out and vote because you're sick of our health care and educational systems ranking behind third world countries? Will you go out and vote because you feel that we all should have the same rights regardless of who we fall in love with? Will you vote for science? Will you vote for math? Will you go out and vote because you want to see America stop depending on nonrenewable energy sources? Will you vote your conscience? Will you vote your heart?

Look, I don't care what it takes for you to go. Stop on your way home from buying Cheetos at 7-11. Go before work. Go at lunch. Get a ride from a neighbor. Offer to drive a neighbor. Just go vote. Find a reason. Just go vote. Wait in line if you have to. Make yourself heard.



537.

Just vote. That's all I ask.

Talking about movies is a lot of fun. It's hard though to deny that some things are just a little more important.

Politics, for example.

I've been here at 7dp for, what, almost 3 years now? And in that time, I've tried to keep politics out of it. I think I've succeeded more than I've failed, though, some of my feelings may have come through in my writing. Regardless, it's a subject I've largely shied away from here, if not elsewhere.

The fact of the matter is though, this is shaping up to be a historic election. The economy is in shambles, we're bleeding jobs, fighting two wars and homes are foreclosing all around us. I'm sure that I don't speak solely for myself when I say that it's all a little scary.

That's why this matters so much. Once every four years, you and I have an opportunity and a responsibility to have a say in the future and direction of this country. As citizens, this is the most important thing we do. This is the biggest and best chance we get to really have a say in what happens.

It's very easy to sit back and think to yourself that "I'm just one person, my vote doesn't really matter." Or, "The polls say my guy is going to win/lose, my vote won't make a difference," or "The Electoral College is a scam and they may as well flip a fucking coin for all the say I have." It's easy to get cynical and jaded when it comes to politics.

Does one single vote matter? Will your vote be the one that changes the course of history? Not on a national level, no. In the local elections that might impact you on more of a day to day basis, it might.

Here's the deal, I'm not interested in telling you who to vote for. Sure, I have a preference. I know who I'd like to see you vote for, but, even if you don't vote for the guy I want, I won't hold it against you. All I want is for you to go to the polls on November 4th and cast your ballot. I want you to take a look around you, read the paper, watch the news and find the candidate that supports the most things that you support. I want you to go to the polls and vote. And that's all I want from you. Just go and vote. It doesn't take that long, trust me, I've voted in every election that I could for the past ten years and you damn well better believe I'm going to vote again this time.