Volume 59, Issue 12  - November 6, 2006

Last call to cast your ballot
By Hugo Rodriguez
Columnist

Hugo Rodriguez

It’s that time again, the time for the leaves to start falling, for the weather to get colder, and for you to vote. Tuesday is your last call. Ask yourself if you want to make a difference.

In the last few weeks, I’ve run into several people, friends and classmates alike, who will not vote on Tuesday. There are three main reasons, and all are valid to some point: a lack of motivation to go through the paperwork, a lack of knowledge about the candidates or the issues they represent, and a cynical outlook on the voting process and politics in general.

But really, aren’t we all adults? There’s no more room for excuses. First of all, paperwork is everywhere and anytime. If we can get through the paperwork of applying for college, we can get through the paperwork of voting for the candidates. The information and the essentials to do so are everywhere; there’s no excuse for not being able to do so.

Second, the information on the candidates is everywhere. The Internet has made it so much easier for people to get informed. Don’t have access to a computer? Pick up a copy of last week’s Collegian.

Finally, there’s the cynical outlook. That is probably the hardest to get rid of. Politicians have time and time again disappointed us. The reason we let them keep on disappointing us is simple: Our voices are heard through our votes; if no one votes, who’s going to listen to us? When we go to the doctor during illness or injury, we tell them what’s wrong. If we make them guess, there’s a high chance they might screw up, and then we’ll complain about the doctor for quite awhile after that.

In just the same spirit, if we don’t go to our representatives with our grievances, how can we expect them to know what’s wrong with us, and how can we expect them to do something about it? We refuse to vote, and when things go awry, we complain to high heavens, even if we didn’t do anything to stop things from turning out like that. We need to let the candidates know what’s wrong so that they can do something about it. If they won’t, they’re going to have to look for a new job.

Voting is not only a right, but a duty. Come Tuesday, it’s time for a personal revolution. I challenge you to go out and to get informed. I challenge you to put your cynicism aside for one day, grab several friends, and head for the voting booths. Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, it doesn’t matter who we vote for, we all suffer equally if we don’t vote.

If we don’t vote, the people up in the Texas Legislature, or the people up in D.C., won’t care about what Cameron County with its low voter turnout rate has to say, and we’ll get the short end of the stick for another two years. If we don’t vote, we’re telling the rest of Texas that Brownsville is too busy getting on MySpace or watching the latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” to care about important issues.

Ask yourself if you want that.