Voting

I'm a big believer in voting. I think about the issues and the people before I choose to vote for them. I'm not the most knowledgeable, but I believe in it. With that being said, two years ago I voted for Obama. I did it for my own reasons, and I know that a lot of people disagree with the decision that I made. I still stand by the decision I made, whether or not I agree with all of his current policies. I stand by my decision because it was my decision to make. It was a difficult one, and I did what I felt was right.

With that being said there are a couple of people that cannot accept that I voted for Obama. Two of these people are my parents. They don't agree on much, but they agree on this. However, whereas my dad laughs it off as a folly of youth and jokes about getting me a t-shirt that reads "I voted for him and I'm sorry," my mom sends me anti-Obama propaganda. She yells about how I need to "do my research" before I make decisions that affect other people. I've tried to explain my reasons to her and she doesn't want to hear about it. Fine. Whatever. She can vote for whoever she wants because she also has that right. I just wish that she would grant me that same right and allow me to make my own decisions.

Also, I think it's important to mention that I vote independent and do not consider myself a democrat. I vote issue by issue, person by person, according to no particular party. Which is why in the same election I voted for Obama I also voted for Proposition 8, which kept marriage between a man and a woman in the state of California. It was a hard thing for me to do, especially because I have a gay brother that I love and want him to be happy. But I did it because I knew that it was right. In fact, when my mom heard about me voting for Obama she accused me of not voting for Prop 8.

Anyway, this year as the midterm elections came up I hadn't thought much of voting. My mom gave me the voter's guide over conference weekend. And I've just been sitting around waiting for my absentee ballot, which never came. Then I remembered that last time my mom mailed it to me. Which makes me very suspicious that she thought that I was going to go all liberal and legalize marijuana as well as elect a ton of liberal officials, which is not true. Today her Facebook status read: "Shame on anyone who did not vote and contributed to the rapid decline of society's values and morals! JERRY BROWN??? Didn't we learn the FIRST TIME??? I'm ready to leave California..." Uh... what? Didn't I get shamed for voting the first time around? And... isn't there a possibility that she didn't send me my ballot so that I could vote?

I have this feeling that a lot of people "believe" in the power of voting, but only if you vote the same way that they do. This really hurts me because I feel like we all have different experiences, backgrounds and values that influence our feelings towards politics. I feel like we all just need to respect individuals and the choices that they make and the beliefs that they hold. I voted for Obama. Most of my peers and my family voted for McCain. I don't agree with it, but they believed that he was the best choice. I would never argue against them on their reasons for doing so. I wish that I could be granted the same respect.