If you’re not voting, it’s time to ask yourself this question:
Why are you so unwilling to invest 20 minutes to vote, but are so willing to endure four or more years of the consequences from other people’s choices?

Last month, just over 7,400 (5.3%) of nearly 141,000 residents in the city of Miramar chose the controlling majority of the city commission. In North Miami, only 5,700 (9.8%) of more than 59,000 residents participated when the Mayor and 2 council members were elected in a runoff. Similar story in Miami Gardens, where only 16,000 (14.5%) of 111,000 residents chose the mayor and the majority of its commission. These are only a few examples of the most recent elections, but this story is repeated in local, county, state, and federal elections – nearly every cycle.

According to numerous studies, the top-ranked “reason” people give for not voting is “My vote doesn’t matter.” This is often fueled by the belief that individual votes don’t matter because corporations and rich people have real control over politics. And, honestly, they are at least partially correct. After reviewing 20 years of policy data, a Princeton University study concluded that the average American appears to have a non-significant impact on public policy; but when corporations and rich people want something, the government is much more likely to do it. And when they don’t want something, they have the power to block it from happening – no matter how much the average American supports it. This is because their money buys their influence.

But, it is also a fact that money becomes less influential when voters become more educated. Money is so powerful because it allows candidates to shape public perception through ads, mailers, and other marketing means. With enough money, campaigns can literally create a whole reality out of thin air and get enough people to believe it – no matter how false it may be. The solution is to educate people so they can SELECT the best candidates based upon qualifications and results, and not just ELECT candidates based upon campaign propaganda and popularity.

Until we increase our power by increasing our participation, there will continue to be a critical defect in our so-called representative democracy. A fraction of the people in our communities – and the money influencing them – are choosing our political representatives. Every person who stays home makes it easier for someone else to control our political realities.

Voting takes minutes; the consequences of elections last for years. When you don’t vote, you are endorsing the decisions of the few people who do. And when they elect people who implement policies that you don’t like, you share the blame.

Brian C. Johnson
President/CEO – Minority Builders Coalition, Inc.
Former Vice Mayor – City of West Park

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