Exercising the right to vote is a civic duty

By | November 8, 2016

Regardless of whom you vote for, whether it is Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or an independent candidate, it is a civic duty that every American should exercise his/her right to vote for a Presidential candidate or any other election in general.

Again, it is your right to vote and it is certainly a civic duty but you are not required nor obligated to vote.

It was 6:40 am on a beautiful Tuesday morning,  November 8, 2016 when I first got to the polling station, thinking it will open at 7:00 am. Apparently, the polling station opened earlier and there were around a 100 people waiting ahead of me.

The line was already long and it can be frustrating to wait for long in lines before having my morning coffee, but the line moved faster than I expected. It took less than an hour to cast my vote and ran to catch the last commuter train to work. Presidential Election only happens once every four years so waiting  shouldn’t be a problem unless you have other obligations that prevent you from taking part in this important civic duty.

Patience is a virtue! Perhaps it is a good time to practice it while awaiting your turn to cast your vote. Depending on your poll location, the wait could be two hours or longer. We’re talking about awaiting your turn to vote but DMV waits can be longer and that’s why I personally utilize electronic services whenever available.

A wise-man once said: if you do not exercise your right to vote, you have no right to complain!

The odds that a single voter will determine how an election turns out are very slim, but it remains a possibility.