To the Editor:
Last summer, while having dinner with my husband at a restaurant in Paris, we started talking with our waiter about French politics. He told me that he had never voted in his life and never planned to vote again. I was surprised by his statement and asked him why, and he said that his vote would not make any difference to either side because neither side cared enough about the plight of workers like him. Having grown up in France, where voting was considered an essential duty, I was deeply saddened by his statement. I tried to convince the waiter that his paid vacation and all the protections he was entitled to were only possible because people like him voted for politicians who supported workers’ rights. He didn’t seem to understand the connection, and he repeated his cynical view of politics over and over again. Many in the United States feel the same way for the same reasons, which has resulted in a real loss of human connection and a loss of faith in human power.
Not voting is giving up on the possibility of change. When I think of the Civil Rights Movement that gave equal rights to black Americans, and the struggle of the suffragists that gave women the right to vote (French women only got the vote in 1945!), I cannot say that my vote doesn’t matter. Your vote matters. It makes you part of the village, part of the human community!
Not voting is selfish and hopeless. It’s like saying “I don’t care,” “It doesn’t matter to me,” “I’m not worthy.”
Please vote on November 5th. Your voice is powerful and can make a big difference during what is often a nail-biting election season.
Your vote is your voice and your voice is yours alone!
Brigitte Laguette
Lee Street
