Why should you vote? Published Aug. 5, 2009 By Lt. Col. Ryan Traver 87th Medical Support Squadron commander JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- The most fundamental threat to any democracy is voter apathy. In the 2008 presidential election, voter turnout was 61.7 percent of the electorate. It was the highest voter turnout since 1960 (at 64 percent). It is encouraging that more Americans than in the past two generations went to the polls. It is discouraging, however, that despite the facts that the United States was engaged in two wars, the country was mired in economic recession, the housing market had collapsed and the banking industry had virtually imploded, 38.3 percent of the eligible population did not feel it was important enough for them to exercise their most basic right as Americans. Mid-term election voter turnout is much worse. The turnout for the 2006 mid-term election was 40.3 percent; the lowest since 1974 (at 36 percent). Each mid-term election, votes are cast for one third of the U.S. Senate, 100 percent of the House of Representatives, numerous state governorships and for countless state and local officials. These are the people who directly represent you. During the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln called democracy "government of the people, by the people and for the people." Our constitution guarantees us the right to decide who will represent us in government. That right can only be exercised through voting. Each school day, millions of school children across the country pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands. A republic is a type of government in which the citizens of a country have an active role in that government. A republic is a government of the people in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by the people through a system of representation involving regularly held free elections. Without the vote, we have no republic. Voting in any type of election, from local elections to presidential elections, provides an avenue to voice your opinions regarding your elected leaders. It is your way to influence policies and helps you decide your own future by electing a person who reflects your views. Your vote holds local and national leaders responsible for the decisions they make. If you do not vote, you give away your right to influence the way you are governed. Your vote sends a message about the issues you think are important. Your vote affirms your right as a free citizen to elect government representatives and take part in democracy. Without the vote, there is no democracy. We as Americans have the privilege to live in the land of the free. The vote is the single constitutional right that makes us free. Without the right to vote, all of the other freedoms guaranteed in our constitution are tenuous at best. There are many countries around the globe whose governments are oppressive and whose citizens do not enjoy the basic freedoms that we take for granted. The very first official act performed, upon entering the military, is the raising of the right hand and pledging to support and defend the constitution of the United States. In our nation's 233 year history, more than 1.3 million men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice in armed conflict honoring that vow. There is no more significant way to support the constitution than exercising your right to vote. Please vote to preserve the republic. Please vote to take part in our democracy. Please vote because you cherish your freedom. Please vote because you care about your community. Please vote because you love your country. Please vote because you vowed to support the constitution. Please vote because it is the right thing to do!