Every November, millions of Americans fulfill an over 200-year-old civic duty: casting a ballot on Election Day. Like many of you, I’ll never forget the first time I walked into the voting booth as a young 18-year-old high school student. The fact that many of us remember the first time we voted just goes to show how serious Americans take this right and responsibility.
In the 1700’s, the Founding Fathers sent shockwaves across the world when they established our nation on the then-radical idea that the people – not kings or tyrants – should have the power to directly shape government. Little did they know, their experiment of creating a new system of government – one that is of, by, and for the people – would pave the way for the U.S. to become the greatest and freest country in the world.
But freedom isn’t free. To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, freedom isn’t something that’s passed down to future generations through the bloodstream - it must be fought for. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have fought and died for our freedoms, from the WWII veterans who saved the U.S. and the entire free world from fascism, all the way back to the farmers, teachers, and blacksmiths who took up arms and defeated a far more advanced British Army in the Revolutionary War. We also owe it to the Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights movements, where innocent Americans were beaten, killed, and thrown in jail for fighting for their right to vote. Voting is a right that should never be taken for granted; there are millions of people across the world who are fighting and dying to secure this fundamental freedom.
Every single vote matters. In my first election to the Missouri General Assembly, I won one of our southern Missouri counties by a single vote. In 2020, one U.S. House election was decided by a total of 6 votes! Whether you’re a Democrat, Independent, or Republican – you should never expect others to carry the responsibility of voting for you. It’s your right as an American to express your will at the voting booth.
