by Morrow Hall

Created on: July 14, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Years ago, a friend of mine who was a member of the League of Women Voters was helping at a register-to-vote booth on a busy city street. It was just after the minimum voting age had been changed from 21 to 18, and the League was especially interested in bringing these newly-enfranchised young people into the political process.

"Are you registered to vote?" my friend asked a young woman walking by, who replied that she was not but might like to be. My friend helped her fill out the registration form, and when it came to political affiliation, she explained to the young woman that if she didn't choose one of the major parties she couldn't vote in the primary elections.

"Do you have a preference?" my friend asked, "Democrat or Republican?"

The young woman thought about this for a moment.

"Which one has the elephant?" she asked.

I know why I vote. I am glad to be part of history's greatest experiment in human freedom. I vote because I want to change things for the better, because I want to help select the best people, because I want to protect the principles of civil, political, and religious liberty that the United States of America represents - and which are always under attack.

I don't know why some people don't choose to vote, but I don't bemoan their apathy. Each person who fails to vote makes my vote count even more.

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