2016 Voter's Guide: What is a Vote?

     The Framers gave each citizen of the United States an important privilege and duty.  The leaders in our Republic would respond to the will of the people because the people were given a strategic tool of accountability:  The Vote.  The temptation to form a political intelligensia would be muted by the idea that the common man was the constituency.  The Framers even made sure that the power of the purse at the federal level would be held by the House of Representatives because it would be the closest to the people and the most responsive to their disapproval.
     It is true that the Framers wanted to protect the government from a sudden whim of the people so they put checks and balances even on the power of the people.  A wave of populism would have to be sustained over number of years to be effective.  The House of Representatives would be vulnerable but the Senate would be more secure (at six year terms).  The Electoral College was also a protection against that populism.
     However, the Framers gave the right to vote to the citizens so they could choose their own leaders and hold them accountable.  An educated populace would be a safeguard against overreach, a vigilant people would be a protection against tyranny.  Liberty would be in our own hands, ours to keep or ours to lose.
     A vote is a formal indication of a choice between candidates or courses of action.  It is the clearest expression of our political judgment.  It is the way we make our voice heard.  It shows our leaders what direction we desire to head and what priorities we expect to be pursued.  Our vote tells what persons or causes share our values.  It tells with whom we wish to identify.
     The purpose of the vote was not to try to pick the winning race horse.  It was to express your sentiment.  It was not to pick the winning candidate or cause but to express our choice.  It is an important civil responsibility because it is our voice.  This fall, don't mess it up by trying to choose the winning candidate.  Choose the candidate whose views best mirror your own.