YOUR VOTE REALLY DOES COUNT

By Rev. Talbert W. Swan, II

While white males held the right to vote for all of our country’s history, women and African-Americans battled for decades for enfranchisement.  The Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, ratified in 1870 and 1920, respectively, prevented election officials from denying the right to vote based on race or sex; however, officials found other ways to deny African Americans the ballot, including poll taxes, literacy tests, fraud and intimidation. The Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, halted those discriminatory practices. This year President Bush signed into law an extension of the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, which was passed by Congress.

In spite of the history of courage and struggle associated with securing the right for Blacks to vote, I am often ashamed at the apathy in the African American community when it comes to exercising this sacred right. Year after year I hear excuses as to why Black people failed to go the polls and cast their ballots. Some were too busy, others forgot and many just didn’t see the importance of the vote as a precious and immutable right of American democracy. Too many of our ancestors fought long and died hard over the centuries because of willful abridgement of fundamental constitutional rights, of which life is one and voting is another.

African Americans have a reason to be deeply concerned with the nonchalant attitude of many in our community. In recent years we have witnessed the hijacking of a presidential election using Black voters as the vehicle, listened to strident voices insisting that votes cast by American citizens don't count and should not be counted and the manipulation of Black voters through scare tactics. Black votes have been summarily discarded, ignored, discounted, uncounted and miscounted. With all of that going on, we cannot afford to assist those who would discount us by refusing to go to the polls for frivolous reasons.

Some will ask, “Why should I vote?” You should vote to honor the legacy of those who suffered and died for your right to participate in the democratic process. You should vote because there is compelling evidence that African American votes have been a major determinant of victories in states across this country. You should vote because it is disrespectful, inexcusable, and plain stupid not to. Frankly, if you don't vote, no one should take interest in your political opinions, because you're just talking loud and doing nothing.

History during our lifetimes--from the gains of the Civil Rights Movement to the end of apartheid in South Africa--tells us that individuals can make a difference if they're willing to sacrifice and do some hard work. We must trust in the power of collective effort and use the political process to bring about change. The alternative is to willfully ignore the hacking away at democracy and sanity and to allow the bad guys to win.

No longer can the African American community allow itself to be dismissed as disengaged and potential no shows at the polls. We cannot afford to traverse our daily routines as African American citizens, beaten down by the forces of bad all around us. Let’s arm ourselves with that which has the potential to bring about change by becoming registered voters. On election day this November, let’s head to the polls and use the power of the vote to effect massive change within society and to send a message that our vote really does count. n