I Voted Stickers from 2023. (Provided by Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections)
Sept. 15 is Democracy Day. We are approaching an election that people of all political persuasions agree is crucial for the future of our nation.
Sadly, many qualified citizens choose not to participate in this most basic method of influencing how we are governed.
However, there is a solution: When enough people understand that despite obstacles, our votes can be truly powerful.
There are many reasons that people don’t vote.
We are all busy in our everyday lives. And there are practical obstacles for people who lack transportation or who have physical disabilities.
The most disturbing reason that many citizens choose not to vote is that they have become discouraged.
They believe claims that cast doubt on the integrity of our elections or find government unresponsive to their concerns or just believe their votes won’t matter.
Most of the noise about election integrity is simply that, noise arising from misinformation or even intentional disinformation.