Does Our Vote Count?

I went to lunch with a friend and colleague this week. We discussed, amongst other things, his belief that our vote, in America, is meaningless. His view may best be summed up, I think, as the view that 1 vote, given the number of total ballots cast, will not change an election whether you cast it or not.

That's true, of course, except in an extraordinary election that is either tied or won by just 1 vote. In fact, it's a truism if considered only from this angle. But that's not what a vote is. And it's not what an election is. An election is an expression of the will of the people.

I didn't realize how much of a Kantian I was until I heard my friend argue this case. (Kant argued that one should always act as if by your act you were establishing a general rule of behavior.) But isn't it true that the surest way of ensuring that there will be no democracy in this country is to act as if our votes didn't count, and refrain from voting? I believe that elections have swung in one direction or another by citizens deciding that their vote doesn't count, and staying home from the polls.

We have a duty, as Kant would say, to do what ought to be done, regardless of the circumstances. And what ought to be done is to express your choice on election day, even if you believe, due to the media and polling, that your candidate is going to lose. And you should vote with confidence and celebration if you believe your candidate is going to win. People staying home, in large numbers, can swing the vote one way or another. We as a people elect candidates. We as individuals do not. But we as individuals must encourage our neighbors by example to vote so that we end up with leaders that truly express the will of the people.

The civil rights movement has included the demand that people of all races and of both genders be allowed to vote. If our votes are meaningless, then this aspect of the civil rights movement was meaningless. Tell that to anyone who was ever truly disenfranchised.

That said, whenever two sincere people disagree on anything, there is a truth to be found in both viewpoints. So, what is my friend really getting at? I think it's this: He himself feels that his vote does not count, because his views are out of step with the mainstream. In such a case, I have to admit that one could easily feel that one has a choice between the lesser of two evils, rather than being able to truly express one's will with a vote.

Even so, the choice between the lesser of two evils is precisely our choice when it comes to compromise. And democracies are driven by compromise. To participate in a democratic republic is to help sway the compromise in one direction or another. Sometimes you have to help move people in the direction of your views step-by-step. We all have a role to play in the vote.