Rock the Vote

I voted for the first time this summer. It should be noted that this summer I was 22 years old and long past the legal voting age, so shame on me. I've never cared for politics, though. Since I was a child, I've always been a people-pleaser. Disagreements upset me and arguments are divisive, so what exactly would have pulled me into politics in the first place?

At 23, I don't like politics any more than ever before. Even the public figures that I agree with turn me off with their abrasive personalities. Today, as I pulled into vote, one candidate greeted me with a wave in the parking lot while his opponent's team waved signs of their candidate and his young family. That's another thing I hate about politics: someone has to lose. And you know, there's not always a bad guy. Sure, in some situations there's a clear choice; in other races, it's sometimes a matter of picking the lesser of two evils. But every now and then there's a race between two good candidates, each having poured relentless time and energy-- not to mention funds-- into their campaign.

And then there's the smear campaigns: This Candidate is a member of the Ku Klux Klan, This Candidate is endorsed by Adolf Hitler, This Candidate's wife slept with Charlie Manson. And no side is innocent or one more guilty than the other. Every time my television is own, it seems, my living room is filled with one politician or another being blasted by the opposing camp.

And whoa at the signs. My hometown happens to be one of the most beautiful in this great state, and seeing So and So's sign doesn't make me want to re-elect him so much as I want to punch him in the face for being a blemish on my city.

I don't vote liberal because I'm young, and I don't vote conservative because my parents are Republicans. Am I the most responsible voter? Absolutely not: I voted for Young Boozer because he sounds like a good time, and I voted for Twinkle Cavanaugh because her name is delightful. But I do vote now, at the ripe old age of 23, and I guess that's a step in the right direction. Really and truly, I'm just ready to see the campaign trail come to a grinding halt.