COLUMN: Voting Isn’t Difficult, People Just Don’t Have Time

The following article is an opinion piece and reflects the views of only the author and not those of The Georgia Virtue.

Claiming ‘voting is too difficult’ is a simplistic explanation of a much larger problem with our society. 

Indeed, voting is a right and rights are not to be infringed upon by government agents (looking at you, Amendment #2 <3 ), but just because something takes time does not mean you are a victim or that your rights are being violated. 

We live in a world where 3 minutes of advertising *time* by the businesses you frequent is an unconscionable inconvenience to our favorite show, 2-day shipping for nearly anything we want is too much *time* to wait, and it’s okay to pretend that quality relationships can be built via apps because God forbid we invest *time* in individuals without first knowing what we will get out of it. 

Why would voting be any different to people who are uncommitted to investing their own time for…anything? 

How many of you complaining that the solution is ‘more polling locations’ have volunteered to work as a poll worker? Those locations need staff, but I’d venture to say you don’t have the time to give…even though you expect someone else to give their time, for your sake, so you can make the best use of yours. 

How many of you complaining make sure people in your first few degrees of separation who don’t have transportation or internet to request an absentee ballot or other accommodations get to vote? Is it one of those, ‘Well, I definitely would, if I had the time…’ things? 

To claim that we have not advanced enough as a state or nation because you cannot cast votes in your pajamas within a few clicks on the internet when previous segments of the population were barred from voting entirely is a blemish on real voting rights movements and a slap in the face to anyone who quite literally put in blood, sweat, and tears to make sure voting was representative.  

How childish one must be to demand that a ballot be brought to them (save medical conditions & military) when generations before us would walk all day, take a bus or three, hitch a ride with a stranger, and so much more for the OPPORTUNITY TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT to vote.  

How dare they ask you to wait in line – in the heat, in the cold, in the rain, in that rumored-to-exist dry air we never experience down here in the South. How shameful that you’re not in & out of the polls in 5 minutes when your neighbors – who you supposedly think should vote as well – are also in line.

How immoral that everyone in America can’t cast their vote at the exact same time so YOU can get back to doing… “…more important things.” We should always strive to improve and ‘better than the last generation’ is a good goal to have, but if your only standard for improvement is ‘absolutely effortless,’ you’ll never see a lick of progress. 

I often hear people say, ‘Vote like your life depends on it’ and without regard for political party, I believe most people do. How frightening it is, though, that people are willing to put in so little effort to something they know will so greatly impact their lives.