The answer begins with one vote

Counterpoint, by Joel Davidson

Untold political television ads, radio announcements and sign waving faithful are again saturating the American landscape with political slogans, soundbites and rhetoric as we count down the final days to another election Tuesday.

The controversial 2000 elections are still fresh in the minds of many Americans and some feel as if their one meager vote won't make a rip of difference, hanging chads or not.

If recent trends hold true, roughly half of the voting-age population will cast a ballot on Tuesday -- the rest will not.

Their reasons for abstaining vary. Some say it doesn't matter who the president or state representatives are because politicians are merely pawns to the giant political machines that determine how they vote and tell them what to support.

People fear, and perhaps rightly so, that the very politicians who are elected to represent them are actually more influenced by major corporations and powerful special-interest groups than by ordinary citizens.

Others complain that they don't fully understand the often complicated issues surrounding the war in Iraq, Social Security funding, health-care costs and the national deficit. These problems are complicated and many people can't see how their vote on Tuesday will help solve anything, so they withdraw from the democratic process.

Some forfeit their vote consciously and deliberately, decrying the convoluted corruption of American democracy and the futility of self-governance.

Many others stay home out of a lack of interest and total ignorance of the culture and issues that actually affect their lives. Like overgrown children, they are content to giggle and play games while living with the consequences of a world they don't care to understand.

Despite the apathy or impassioned protests of the nonvoters, the polls will open Tuesday morning and by the end of the day -- barring major controversy or lengthy litigation -- half of eligible voters will have selected a president and a host of state and local representatives.

Bear-baiting will either be legal or illegal in Alaska and potheads will either light up legally or smoke behind closed blinds.

The point is that our democratic process won't stop -- or even slow down -- just because half the country remains silent on election day. Withdrawing only assures that the direction of this country, on countless issues, both nationally and locally, will be influenced by an increasingly smaller percentage of our national population.

Ultimately, the joke may very well be on the nonvoters, who wake up Wednesday morning to discover that the rest of the country actually voted for the president, propositions and politicians that they passively oppose. Consequently, laws may be enacted and policies initiated that actually threaten their way of life.

The answer then, is not to avoid the ballot boxes Tuesday, lest your hands become soiled by the corruption of American democracy and the mind-boggling levels of government bureaucracy.

It's true, one vote does not make a difference when cast in a vacuum, just as one brick can't lay the foundation of a great building. When stacked together, however, something larger than the parts begins to emerge.

We have much work to do if the institutions and laws of this country are going to reflect our core values and concerns.

The process begins with people making it a priority to be informed, educated citizens who understand and discuss the issues and candidates with one another.

I'm not saying this will be easy. It takes work and it means we must understand why this country exists, what our strengths and weaknesses are and how we arrived at this place, in the year 2004.

We have to be critical thinkers who are willing to buckle down and educate ourselves so we're not merely punching holes and checking the boxes of candidates who had the biggest signs along the road or the catchiest jingles in their commercials.

We can still shape this nation and actively participate in this 228-year-old experiment with democracy but we need a sense of history to have any good ideas for the future.

On Nov. 2nd, don't stand by ignoring or decrying the country as it crumbles in on you. Instead, take your one, small vote and help lay a more solid foundation.

Joel Davidson is a reporter with the Frontiersman newspaper.