The People On The Bus...

 

What do you think, should there be consequences for people who decide not to vote? In Australia you will be fined if you don't vote. In Brazil you will lose the right to renewing your passport or getting a driver's license. Singapore too has strict laws and punishment regarding voting.

There are pros and cons to this issue, the most obvious is impinging on one's rights. Should someone be forced to cast a vote? Critics mention it will be the poor who will suffer the consequences. Aren't they already by not choosing to try and make a difference? Honestly, I find it a weak defense. Yes, there are people who have no way to get to the polls. Mail in voting is an option. There is no cost. I use it. You don't need to buy a stamp. You need one witness you could find on the street if you don't have family or friends. You don't have to spend a penny on fuel. Stick the ballot in a mailbox. 

I don't believe the problem is because people are too poor to get to a polling facility. It's apathy, ignorance, laziness and just not caring.

My niece refuses to vote. She has said time after time that her vote wouldn't count. It would make no difference whether she voted or not. I remember taking the bus a few days after Trump was elected the second time. People were having a discussion about the results. All admitted they didn't vote and didn't care because their lives wouldn't change for the better anyway, so fuck it.

We have lots of rules and laws in this country to protect us from mostly ourselves. Use seatbelts. No smoking in public places. Don't put plastic bags over your head. 

I don't like to be told what to do. Never have. But I also believe everyone should vote and if they don't, there will be consequences to them, not us. Because so many people decided to stay home last election we have the orange man. There are a zillion excuses or reasons as to how he became president, some claiming it was rigged. I just think it was because people didn't care. They let others deal with every bloody law and rule that we live by. So now we can't afford groceries. Who suffers the most? Who goes off to fight useless wars? Certainly not the rich. 

Anyway, you get my point. People can and do make a difference. People can find a way to vote. And yes, I believe there should be mandatory voting, or you, the individual, suffer the consequences, not me, the person who wants a better life for everyone. 

I'm not sure what will happen this November. I doubt my niece will vote. I'm sure the people on the bus won't vote, but maybe a few people have finally noticed what happens when you let others decide your fate. It shouldn't have to get to the point where people are punished if they don't vote. It is a privilege, an amazing act of free will to be a part of society, or just to vote because you want tacos on Tuesday. The idea that you are free while you allow others to decide your life is an incomprehensible thought process to me.

Vote, or move somewhere where you will never have to think for yourself ever again.