Your Vote On Election Day: Rights, Responsibilities, And Accountability

The day is upon us. Tomorrow, November 6, is Election Day in the United States.

As of November 7, we can get back to the tasks at hand, namely getting the country moving in a forward direction. All the diatribes, lies, propaganda, and vitriol will be over – at least for a while. At least we can all hope that is the case, because this election cycle has been downright ugly.

But in the meantime, we have a responsibility. For all that we like to talk about rights and freedoms in this country, the oftentimes-forgotten yet highly important issue is that we also have a responsibility that comes with those rights.

Let’s go back to the roots of it all - the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

The responsibility lies in voting. It is one of the key elements to making a democracy function. You can complain all you want about your legislators and their policies, but if you don’t place your vote, then you don’t have a voice.

As noted by Seth Godin, not voting doesn’t make politics go away. Far from it. The more people that vote, the more that dollars will actually be spent trying to please the voter. In the long run, that has to be a good thing.

On Election Day, have a voice. Vote. Embrace the responsibility.

On November 7, take the next step beyond rights and responsibilities. Again, from the Declaration of Independence:

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Ensure accountability of our elected officials. Legislators are accountable to their constituents, not the special interests that line their pockets.

Whether you are Republican or Democratic, Libertarian or Tea Party, the Declaration Of Independence and the US Constitution hold valuable lessons in how we can keep the democracy functioning as the founding fathers so desired. It all starts with the voice of the people and the consent of the governed.

Photo credits: KCIvey