Our presidential elections are coming up, and my guess is many people will once again take the right to vote for granted. In 2008, only 63 percent of Americans eligible to vote actually did so. Of those Americans who didn’t vote 44 percent cited “being too busy”, “not interested”, or “not liking the issues/candidates” as the reason.
By contrast, I recently heard a story about Venezuelan ex-patriots living in the US and the significant trouble they went through to cast votes in their presidential elections. That story should make us all more appreciative of how good we have it.
You see, after Hugo Chavez’s government closed the consulate in Miami, thousands of Venezuelan voters living in South and Central Florida had to take a 15-hour-plus drive to New Orleans, the nearest consulate where they could vote. No, they had no absentee, or early voting options. Think about how much preparation, commitment and patriotism that road trek entailed.
So what does this have to do with a column about the workplace? Well, if you live in a multi-cultural place like Florida, chances are someone you work with is also an expatriate. Possibly even from a country where voting is difficult or non-existent. Someone who would probably go through a lot more trouble that you and I might be willing to endure. Couldn’t we use that knowledge to motivate our selves and others to get out and vote?
So readers, don’t let Nov. 6 sneak up on you. Plan your day. Will you go into work a little late? Will you leave early? Have you arranged your schedule so that you can, in fact stop to vote? Many employers allow flexibility on election day, so ask ahead. Otherwise, consider early voting on the weekend. Whatever you do, don’t take for granted something that is so precious, not just for people on the other side of the world but perhaps for someone who shares your same workspace
As for me, I love voting. Perhaps because it felt like such a privilege after becoming an American citizen in the 1980s, I haven’t missed one election. I’ll vote this November. I hope you do the same.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
