YOUNG: Voting isn’t enough

I was one of the 2,249,026 people who voted in Massachusetts' 2010 Senatorial Special Election. If my vote were a single grain of rice, that election would weigh approximately 78 pounds. If my vote were a parsec, that election would be three times farther away than the Andromeda Galaxy. Statistically speaking, my vote was about as significant as the Red Sox's postseason chances. Considering that I voted third party, it was particularly insignificant, but never mind, I'm making a point here.

And that point is that voting in and of itself isn't a terribly effective way to change the world. I knew this before I walked to my voting site, showed the lady at the desk my Oklahoma-issued identification, realized that she needed to see my proof of enrollment instead, schlepped back to my dorm, printed out the necessary information, trudged back, demonstrated that I fulfilled the residency requirement and cast my ballot. So why did I? Because voting is a natural result of social responsibility and without that, civilization crumbles. And I for one would rather it end in a zombie apocalypse. I'd also prefer it be more like "Zombieland" than "Dawn of the Dead".

I'm lucky enough to be over 18 years of age. That means I can buy cigarettes, go to strip clubs and be executed in an additional 38 states plus the District of Columbia. Of course, I don't do any of those things, so the only change in my day-to-day life is that I can't ask to see the children's menu. But that terrible loss is offset by one great privilege &- standing in a little box and making a smudge on a piece of paper. Now, why exactly is that great? How can it make up for losing the toy that comes with the Happy Meal?

It's important that you don't imagine that you're entitled to vote. If it was an innate human right, the government would have no choice but to let kids vote - that would probably mean we'd be saluting President Beiber come January 2013, so I'm rather glad that isn't the case. The voting age is a reasonable but fundamentally arbitrary cut-off point, just like the length you cut up your jeans.

Suffrage is like the FitRec. You can do anything you want: vote for the libertarian who apparently isn't related to Ted Kennedy, mill about hoping that the good basketball players will stop playing full-court, whatever. But first you have to be deemed worthy by the institutional overlords. And, of course, you get kicked out if you set something on fire. But the fact that the system has to grant you the power in the first place makes it a privilege in my book. A slightly more significant privilege than ice cream after dinner, but a privilege nonetheless.

Ideally, the only reason you go to the FitRec is because you care about being physically active and the only reason you vote is because you care about society-at-large. All governments are run by some kind of electorate and that electorate is charged with maintaining its society. Sometimes the only voice is that of the dictator, like with Bill Belichick and the Patriots, but in America, all registered voters have that duty. I'm not saying anything particularly profound here. Many people vote and it's widely known as a civic duty. But is voting alone enough to fulfill our obligation to the society we must protect?

Nope. As I've already said, individual votes stop making a difference once your voter turnout is greater than the Heisman Trophy's. To really actualize your will, you have to be active on a local level. My dad recommended I read a book by Robert Heinlein, "Starship Troopers." In addition to demonstrating Hollywood's uncanny ability to take a book about a Filipino space marine in a powered armor suit and turn it into a movie about a white guy wearing a cheap helmet, it affected my political beliefs. Influencing those around you is the most important aspect of social responsibility. If everyone you affect turns around and affects other people, you've impacted a far more significant portion of your community than you did in the voting booth. You've also created a political pyramid scheme, but trust me when I say it's not a scam.

There's precious little difference between an apathetic voter and an apathetic non-voter. Separating your voting from the rest of your societal life is wasteful in the extreme, like leaving the faucet running while you go to the store to buy toothpaste. Unless you also try to convince other members of the electorate that your way of thinking is best for everyone, you might as well stay home and spend your voting energy on "American Idol".