Why I Didn't Vote Yesterday & Why You Shouldn't Either

            I did not vote yesterday. Not because I didn’t have time or I forgot to do so. Absolutely intentionally did not vote. This was the first time since I turned 18 and registered to vote that I have not done so. I’m sure this will come as a shock to most people who know me, since I’m usually the one preaching to others about why they absolutely have to vote in every election, no matter how big or small because voting is what brings about the change that we need in this country and preserves democracy. But nope…no more. I’m over it. As much shit as I’m sure I will catch for this, I honestly don’t know if I will ever vote again. Let me tell you why and why you should consider not voting either.        

            My motives and ballot decisions have previously been determined by who supported the changes that I wished to see in this country. I voted for increased civil rights for LGBT members, women, and every other minority in this country – equality for all. I voted for compassionate capitalism in which we employ morality and true Christianity in our economic system and help those that need it. Mainly, I voted to prove that my vote as a citizen meant something. That the government that was to be put in place was going to serve the interests of the American people as promised in our Declaration of Independence.

            Specifically, in the last two presidential elections, I voted for positive change. Change that was much needed from the situation that the previous generations had put us in. Faced with a failing economy just waiting to implode on itself, extreme wealth inequality, and various forms of inequality and oppression, I voted for the candidate that I wholeheartedly felt was going to follow through on his campaign promises and fix this country before it was too late. Someone that gave the appearance that he knew of the main problems facing this country and wanted to resolve them for the betterment of us all. While some of the changes that were needed have been accomplished during his two terms, such as increased civil rights for the LGBT community and small economic gains, but for the most part, we’ve been let down. We’ve been thrown tokens to make us blind to the real problem in this country that has yet to be addressed – America is no longer a nation by the people, for the people. It is now a nation by the elite, for the elite. America is no longer a democracy. It is an oligarchy.

            A 2014 study titled “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens” by Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page found that the voices of non-rich American citizens are not being heard any longer. Mark Karlin of TruthOut discussed the study in his article “Most US Voters Have Nearly Zero Impact on National Policy, New Study Concludes” (2014):

            The analysts found that when controlling for the power of economic elites and organized interest groups, the influence of ordinary Americans registers at a "non-significant, near-zero level." The analysts further discovered that rich individuals and business-dominated interest groups dominate the policy-making process. The mass-based interest groups had minimal influence compared to the business-based interest groups. The study also debunks the notion that the policy preferences of business and the rich reflect the views of common citizens. They found to the contrary that such preferences often sharply diverge and when they do, the economic elites and business interests almost always win and the ordinary Americans lose.

            What does this mean to the everyday American like you? You mean nothing. Only the interests of the elite matter now. You control nothing in this country. The elites control everything. The government no longer serves you. You now serve the government. Our political system has failed. Democracy has now been trumped by corporate power and corrupted politicians to create a nation the no longer meets the needs of its entire citizenry.

            We’ve already seen real-life examples of this and did absolutely nothing about it – the illegal election of George W. Bush in 2000 thanks to his brother giving him the state of Florida, President Obama illegally superseding Congress in major national decisions, and the issuance of executive orders for national decisions by the President with no approval from anyone else. We no longer have checks and balances to prevent tyranny. We no longer have elections that represent the true vote of the people. We now have the appearance of a democracy, equally “evil” political parties, and one of the greatest wealth inequalities in the entire world.

            We’ve yet to do anything to take our country back as our democracy and freedom slowly slip away from us, primarily because we spend so much time fighting with one another over the less important things. We fail to realize that in a non-democratic nation, none of us are truly free. So we are essentially wasting our time debating over absolutely anything else.What does it matter if women have the right to abortions if our democracy is gone? What does it matter if same-sex marriage is legalized if our democracy is gone? What does it matter if marijuana is legalized if our democracy is gone? None of these things matter if our democracy is gone.

            Most people will say that this should be even more reason to vote. But our democracy is essentially gone at this point, so continuing to vote is only strengthening the elite that destroyed it. They need the citizenry to believe that its democracy is still in place and its vote matters to prevent rebellion. The silent treatment, or not voting at all, is now more effective than participating in a broken system that they need for us to believe in to maintain their power.

            Personally, I’m not going to give them that any longer. They took away our democracy and don’t answer to us, so they are no longer our government in my eyes, no matter what party they represent. They are simply a democratic façade. There is no lesser of evils to vote for now, and there is no true democracy to partake in. If more Americans come to terms with where we stand as a nation now and begin to give them the silent treatment as well, maybe they will notice that they do need us more than they think they do. And if they don’t realize this, eventually we will have to make them, unless we wish to simply concede entirely. As Guy Fawkes once said: “A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.”