Today's MOZEN: The Power of the Vote

                                             

F LoBuono

VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. 

Many of my friends have expressed their dissatisfaction with the electoral process. They often complain that their one, little vote means NOTHING - EVERY candidate is worthless - the system is fucked - what difference could they possibly make, etc., etc..

REALLY??????

Let me give you some statistics from the recent Brexit vote in Great Britain that will completely dispel that way of thinking. As you may recall, in a very close vote, Brits decided to sever ties with the European Union. Most prognosticators predicated a win for the pro-Union side. But, when the final votes were tallied, England was out.

The reaction was immediate and visceral. Pro-Union sympathizers were shocked and outraged! Most of them young people, they screamed that their future had been mortgaged. And, they just might be right. The ramifications most certainly will be felt for years to come.

So, how did it happen?

Simple - young people made a lot of noise about staying in the EU but did not translate their passion into action. They simply DID NOT VOTE in sufficient numbers! And, this seems to be a classic scenario: those whose futures are most affected by these actions seldom use the simple power of numbers. And, it happens all of the time.

Here are the key age demographics and the percentage of eligible voters who actually cast ballots in Great Britain:

Ages 18-24         36%
Ages 55-64         81%
Ages 65+            83%

These numbers are as shocking as they are extraordinary. The simple breakdown is this: the OLDEST voters in England, the ones with the least amount of time to live under the new rules, voted at a rate nearly TWO TIMES GREATER than those under 25 - the ones with the longest commitment.

It's SO obvious where REAL power lies - in THE VOTE! The numbers do not lie. If the young people in Britain would have put their money where their mouths were, they simply could have not been defeated.

And, it happens over and over again.

In the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders has received a ground swell of support from young people. They attend his rallies in record numbers. They are loud and proud. However, once again, this youthful enthusiasm has failed to translate into votes. Sanders trails his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, in almost every category, included delegates and the popular vote.

They scream FOUL - the system is rigged - Hillary bought the election. Personally, I DON'T know if these accusations are true. They MAY be. But, what I DO know is that if ALL the young people supported Bernie with an actual VOTE, the landslide could not be ignored or overthrown.

So, the next time a friend says that their vote is useless. Tell them they are correct - it IS - unless the wield it!!