Why I voted

Your vote doesn’t make a difference. Whether you cast your ballot on the day of the elections or you sit at home and watch Opera, the poll results will be the same. Your vote doesn’t make a difference and neither does mine. To my knowledge no major election has been decided by a single vote and we’ve had enough elections to know that none ever will. And even if an election somewhere has been or will be decided by a single vote (and this is a BIG IF), the chances that the election that I participate in would be a single vote decision is practically negligible.

Some might look at my reasoning in disgust and say “Well, what if this very election is decided by one vote?” That’s a good question. But if this question is valid and its implied conclusion, then I would be right in concluding that one shouldn’t drive because “What if this is the very night you get into an accident”. I would also be right in concluding that one shouldn’t go for a walk because “What if you get struck by lightning”. See, The chances for these events actually happening are just so low that we normally ignore them. Even more, we have all heard of accidents happening yet we drive everyday. We have all heard of someone get struck by lighting, yet we all go for walks. But we’ve never heard of a major election being decided by a single vote, so why should I vote?

Others might argue “Ok you’re right. One vote does not make a difference. But if everyone thought that way, then no one would vote and we couldn’t have elections.” Or rather they might say “If many thought like you then all your votes together do in deed make a difference.” To these statements I would have to agree. But it does not follow that if I don’t vote others wont. It does not follow that if I think that way others will think that way. The question here is whether I, not others, should vote. When the time for me to decide on whether to vote or not comes, my decision has no bearing on that of others. This is my choice. It is between myself and I. Another flaw in this argument becomes apparent as we consider the following example. Supposed you wanted to take a day off this coming Monday. I could conclude that you should not take your day off on Monday because if everyone thought like you and took a day off this Monday, then the city would collapse. We’d have no police, no public transportation and no doctors. But the truth is that this is not the case. You can take a day off this Monday knowing that others won’t and that things will go on as expected. I in turn can do the same. I can not cast my vote and know that things will go on just as smoothly. And if that’s the case, then why should I vote?

Yet others, maybe as a last effort might say “People have died for your right to vote. You should use this privilege and high honor”. However, many have died for various difference causes. Some causes were pitiful, others mediocre and others of great worth. Without trying to place my right to vote in any of these categories, we can certainly agree that we do not make our decisions in life based on the decision of others. Simply because Muslims have died for their faith, that does not mean I should use that privilege and become a Muslim. Simply because Christians have died for their faith, that does not mean I should be a Christian. It follows, then, that even though people have died for my right to vote, this does not mean I should vote. If this is true then why should I vote?

However, it might surprise many who’ve read this far that I did in fact vote in the last Canadian elections. Let me assure you that it wasn’t because I thought my vote made a difference or because many died for my right to vote. The reason I voted was because I’m a Christian.
As a Christian, we are called to be agents of change. We are called to want, to desire and to act Good for this world. The world as we know it is hardly full of good and Christians are called to change that.

In this day in age, there are many ways that we can implement change. One of these ways, the way through which the democratic system works, is voting. Now, though I strongly believe that my vote doesn’t make a difference, someone else might. And so someone else, because of my lack of voting, might accuse me of not caring about this world and this country. They might charge me saying “You're so heavenly minded [as a Christian] that you're no earthly good”. And since the Canadian government has instated voting as the primary means of change, the accuser would have reason to believe that. And so if just as a symbol, if just as proof of my intentions in this life, if just as sign to show that I in fact do want things to change, voting is worth my while. And that’s why I voted.