Use your right to vote.
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Hey, folks!
At first glance, this week’s challenge might seem a bit strange and somewhat unrelated to the environmental issues or the good deeds we usually focus our attention on. But once you think a bit deeper, you can easily realize its importance.
Nowadays an average person in most countries all around the world is completely unsatisfied with their politicians and their work. At the same time, more and more people tend to skip elections and stay at home due to their mistrust in all of the candidates.
Let’s break the ice by looking at some facts regarding voting and voting rights.
Voting facts
- In most elections, the turnout for voting is less than 50 percent.
- Every vote counts! Over the course of history, there have been elections that were decided by one or two votes.
- Young voters are more likely to support issues such as legalizing abortion and same-sex marriage or supporting a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, than older generations.
- Even NASA astronauts that are in space on Election day are allowed to vote.
- Back in colonial times, they’d offer alcohol at the polling places to get more votes.
- In 33 countries, it’s legally required to vote.
- Universal suffrage is, unfortunately, not yet a reality.
- In Saudi Arabia, women got the right to vote in 2015.
- Estonians can cast their ballots online ever since 2005.
- There are countries like Sweden and France, where citizens are automatically registered to vote.
- New Zealand was the first modern country to grant women the right to vote (in 1893).
- There are only five countries that have never held elections: China, Eritrea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.
Voting rights and responsibility
Let’s take a moment to remember the past when the voting right was a great privilege, unavailable to many. Sadly there still many who don’t have the right to vote, but in most parts of the developed world every adult has this right and must of us no longer see it as a privilege. We take it for granted. Please, don’t get us wrong, we believe it is something that should be granted, but by skipping elections we might just lose that right.
“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.”
-George Jean Nathan
We’d like to encourage you to start taking your voting right as a duty because that’s exactly what it is. It is up to you to think hard about who you should vote for, so you could choose the best possible option for you, your loved ones, and the environment.
By not voting, you are not performing your duty as a citizen, you decline your right to express your will. Moreover, it is quite hypocritical not to vote and then complain about the current political state, which many tend to do nowadays.
Who to vote for?
It is your right to decide for yourself who to vote for based on your personal beliefs and expectations. However, we feel obligated to give you a few pointers on what things you should focus your attention on when choosing the right (best available) candidate.
You should vote for a candidate that fights or at least stands for the equal human rights, gender equality, animal rights, acknowledges environmental issues, and is proactive about protecting the environment.
Those are basic and most vital areas that every leader should support and be active in. That is the only way we can even start hoping for a warless world, with a decent atmosphere for all living creatures on our planet.
The odds that you are having the elections in your town, state or country this week are pretty poor, that is why this week’s challenge is to apply information obtained herein for all future elections.
Do your part!
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
-Martin Luther King Jr
Take-home points:
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Voting right is still a privilege that many people around the world don’t possess.
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Appreciate your right to vote.
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Never miss the opportunity to vote.
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Given the right, it is your responsibility to vote.
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Vote for someone who stands for the equal human rights, gender equality, animal rights and fights for the protection of the environment.
With love and care,
Good Earthlings