My First Vote

Voting.  It is one of the primary staples of our nation and the democratic process.  It is when every citizen in the nation has a role in government.  I strongly believe that it is every citizen’s civic duty to vote.  For certain, if you do not vote then you do not have the right to complain about the way the nation is governed.  In a way, every American citizen has a part in governing the nation, as we the people elect the politicians that make decisions.  This year like all of us was my first time being eligible to vote in elections.  And it was an experience I will not soon forget.

With my dad working in politics and both of my parents strong democrats, I at first did not really think there was a true choice to make when voting for president.  Obama was the clear choice simply because he was the democratic nominee.  However, as I stood in line at Palmer Commons, a somewhat euphoric thought went through my head.  “I can vote for whoever the fuck I want,” I thought to myself.  Nobody would ever know who I voted for other than me. 

 It was at this time that I really thought about which candidate I wanted to be the President of the United States.  I truly think that our nation is at a crossroads in terms of the economy.  We are over 16 trillion dollars in debt and are seeing the value of the dollar diminish by the day.  This was the main reason why I honestly considered voting for Mitt Romney.  I think he does have a better grasp on the economy than Obama does.  I also do not think the President is a good leader, but that is another blog post.  The factors leading in Obama’s favor for me were his positions on social issues and the fact that I believe he is a more honest, invested person than Mitt Romney.  So who did I end up voting for?  As it should be, I am the only person who will ever truly know.