by Taylor Jones, staff writer
Didn’t we just do this? I feel like I was waiting for summer to begin and now it’s suddenly fall, my procrastination has caught up with me, and its election time, again. I thought this was supposed to be like the Olympics! I vaguely tune in every two years, participate in watching the spectacle so I can say I was included, and enjoy the memes. Yet here we are, this time with a local election and all their yard signs and over-sized mailers cluttering my lifeless attention span.
Well, I know exactly what I’m going to do about it this year. Nothing. Absolutely nothing, and you should too. Here’s why:
It doesn’t even matter.
I mean it doesn’t, right? It’s not like my vote really is going to make a difference. Especially since voter turnout in local elections in Colorado Springs sits at 37% on average over the last ten years. With so little of the eligible voters casting their ballots there is just no way that my voice could have an impact. Besides, does local politics really affect me? It’s not like school boards hold lots of power over things like what is and is not allowed in curriculums or whether or not teachers are allowed to speak to journalists. It’s not like our city council and mayor make decisions that impact me.
Speaking of those elected officials…
Politicians are all the same.
It seems as we continually approach election season, we get our dose of smiles and speeches alongside the pomp and promises. The only reason someone would get involved in the first place is because they are selfish and in the pockets of some high-dollar donor, right? I don’t really agree with the way a lot of things in the city ultimately work out, and I definitely have some strong feelings about some of the people currently in office, but it’s not like there is someone in our own backyard who believes the same things I do, right?
Besides, I’m too busy.
Honestly? Even if my vote mattered, and there was a candidate that saw things the way I do, and I was smart enough to understand what I was reading, I just don’t have the time. I understand that Colorado mails the ballot to my address several weeks in advance. I am acutely aware of how the envelope mocks me from its unopened place of shame in my mail stack. I guess it’s also pretty convenient that I can drop off my ballot pretty much anywhere in the city, without even leaving my car. I don’t even have to go to an assigned “polling station” or anything. But like I said, I’m just too busy.
So, these are just a few of the reasons I’m choosing to do nothing this election season, and I think you should too.
