Why Should I Vote?

One of the biggest problems in representative government is voter
disinterest.  People feel they don’t have time, they can’t make a
difference with their vote, or they simply don’t care about politics. 
It’s understandable- we all have busy lives, and sometimes the weight of
the political system seems too much for us to move.  None of the typical
lines we cycle through time and time again will convince anyone to vote,
so I’ll try a new one: it benefits you.
Jeff Fazio, advisor to the HACC Student Government Association and a
fellow participant in Pitt Day (they simply call it Lobby Day) once told
me that the most powerful actions anyone can take to ensure their
political influence is to register to vote and then  go ahead and do so. 
It works like this: when writing to your representative, your letter is
first read by an assistant at their office.  They immediately check the
voter registration system to see two things: if you’re registered to vote,
and if you voted in the last election (but not who you voted for; that’s
protected under federal law).  This makes your request far more important
to them: not only are you in a position to vote for or against them, but
you have done so before.  Moreover, you’ve cared enough to write them a
letter, which potentially means you care enough to make other people write
more letters- and vote for or against them accordingly.  You’ve suddenly
gone from a nobody to a blip on their radar, and they will handle your
request accordingly.  This can certainly be the first step in getting your
politician to change a law in a way that benefits you and many others.
So, don’t think of voting as an unnecessary hassle; consider it a premium
you pay for “law insurance”.  At the end of the day, the politicians work
for you, and this is your way to remind them of it.