Why vote? Let us count the reasons

W.C. Fields (for you millennials, he was a 1930s comedian of the cynical variety) once said, “Hell, I never voted for anybody. I always voted against.”

Which is as good a reason as any.

It’s the kind of reasoning that seems likely to define this Election Day, which plays host to midterm elections. Local ballots contain fresh names who make no secret that they were inspired to run in opposition to the principles of President Donald Trump. There are also candidates clinging to those standards.

The Secretary of the State’s Office reports that between the 2016 election that put Trump in office through June 2018, Connecticut has drawn 81,908 new registered Democrats and 43,390 Republican counterparts.

Studies traditionally cite the number of unregistered U.S. voters at about 25 percent. It’s always an alarming figure, but hardly as disquieting as the number of registered voters who won’t bother to show up at the polls on any Election Day.

Think about it. You probably got a report on your smartphone indicating how many hours you used it last week. Boom! You could have voted about 12 times in that period.

Americans love anything that involves a winner and loser, even if it is just fantasy football or “American Idol.”

We are excited that there are a record number of registered voters in Connecticut this year — more than 2.16 million. Still, it should be higher. There is still time. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. If you’re registered and in line at 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote. Polling places are at myvote.ct.gov/lookup.

If you encounter issues at the polls, contact 866-733-2463 (866-SEEC-INFO) or elections@ct.gov, a hotline run by the Office of the Secretary of the State and the State Election Enforcement Commission.

Finally, if you simply haven’t registered, you must complete the process by 8 p.m. on Election Night. To find your polling place, go to myvote.ct.gov/EDR.

If you do not traditionally vote, here are a few reasons to change your ways:

Do it for the suffragettes of a century ago who fought for the right to vote.

Do it for the people in other parts of planet who risk their lives to vote.

Do it for children who learn by example.

Do it to define your generation. More than one-third of the electorate this season are millennials.

Do it out of respect for the candidates. They’ve been hitting the streets for weeks to win your vote, even with the knowledge most of them will lose.

Do it because people we elect will spend our tax dollars and define our laws. They will have a significant role in determining how we live.

There are a lot of reasons to stand up and be counted on Election Day. Still, it has taken us 488 words to say what we could have in four: Get out and vote.