Voting is protest that matters
Idid not join the recent march in opposition to Trump’s immigration policy. I do not agree with these policies; after all, we are a nation built on the shoulders of immigrants, and we should be celebrating that, not criminalizing it. However, I also do not believe in the efficacy of mass public protest. It seems to me that events like those are exercises in preaching to the choir.
Then, if not marching, what is effective? Is it “nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them” (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene I)? I also do not believe that we have reached a stage where armed rebellion is the answer. Or we shouldn’t simply sit and suffer this sea of troubles.
Fortunately, we live in a country that has mechanisms to deal with this. Most importantly, voting. In the recent primaries, held June 5, fewer than 28 percent of eligible voters actually voted, according to the Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. We can do better. We have to do better.
The 2016 general election had better turnout but still less than 70 percent. That is a shame, because New Mexico is a state with fewer voters per Electoral College vote. Our votes matter more here than in more populous states. We might not get the attention of those other states, but we can still make a difference.
March if you must, but know that voting is the protest that matters. Vote your conscience. Vote your beliefs. Vote against or vote for, but vote. The major political parties think that they know what voter turnout will be. They place candidates who are likely to do well among “likely voters.”
Even if your candidate does not win when you voted, you are now more influential because you are now a likely voter. Vote this November and be counted in a way that matters.