Your Vote Is Yours.

When we see two candidates, one Democrat and one Republican, we feel as though we must pick one of the two. Why? Is it because putting a vote towards any other candidate won’t count for the top 2 vote-getters? Why does it matter? Will one vote sway an entire election? Not likely. Don't be duped into thinking that voting for anybody other than the Democrat or Republican is a “waste” of a vote. Your vote is your voice in the political process. As citizens of a functioning democracy, we have the unique ability to vote, something not many in the world can say. Make sure your vote is yours.

Given, people inherently want to support winners, but when we value victory for a less than perfect candidate over the true representation of our political voice, society suffers. Our true beliefs are overshadowed by a superficial drive to be on the winning team. Voting may be our only way to combat the oppressive 2-party system. In the end, it’s not about what party we're voting for, it’s the candidate and whether or not they will represent us. The principle of representation in our House of Representatives provides for a diversity of political opinions across geographic boundaries. Regional differences across the political spectrum make it difficult for an Alabama Republican to agree with a Maine Republican on some issues, for a California Democrat to agree with a West Virginia Democrat on some issues. In America, our candidates focus more on individual characteristics rather that party. Why can’t our voters?

Casting a vote for a third-party candidate and even not casting a vote at all sends a message to the establishment that we are tired with the prevailing system. It is not, as some claim, “throwing a vote away.” On Tuesday, New Hampshire voters will have alternative choices rather than the stale establishment candidates in contests for Governor and Senate. In Libertarian candidates John Babiarz and Ken Blevens, voters in the “Live Free or Die” state are allowed an outlet to voice their disgust with the prevailing political system. These are candidates that understand that government is the negation of human liberty. They understand that an ever-growing state with unlimited power and the ability to check itself will never yield a free society. John Babiarz has faced the New Hampshire Supreme Court multiple times to combat unjust laws; he knows what it takes to shake up the system in favor of freedom. If it wasn’t already clear, Babiarz and Blevens are the only candidates for major office in New Hampshire that recognize the failure of our nation's war on drugs, something no career politician will admit.

Americans will press the button for “change” for the third time in three elections this Tuesday. We tried to send the message to Washington in '06 and '08 and we have yet to find leaders who will put the people before their party or themselves.It seems like we'll keep choosing “the other guy” until we get the change we're looking for. Unfortunately, this change will not come from either party as we know it today. Plagued by inefficiency, foolish economic doctrine and corporatism, our government proves to us over and over again that it is not capable of common-sense solutions. This culture of corruption in Washington does not show signs of slowing. After all, how can it when even drastic electoral shifts keep ambitious politicians swirling in the toilet bowl that is the Washington DC beltway power structure.

Be proud of your vote, because in the end, a single solitary vote will not tip the election, it will only depict support for a particular candidate over the others. If we use our votes to reflect our true political beliefs, we become a freer, more engaged citizenry instead of an apathetic blob. Who knows, maybe the politicians will listen!