Election Question: to vote or not to vote?

I don't think there is any way I could have missed the message when I was growing up: Voting isn't just a privilege it is a responsibility.

I still remember my first "vote": in Mrs. Medema's second grade class, we all had an opportunity to vote for Jimmy Carter or Ronald Regan (too bad our votes didn't count--I think Carter won in our class). Fast forward 3 presidential elections and I remember the breathlessness I felt as I entered my first voting booth officially to vote for president. Could my single vote really make a difference?

This year isn't a presidential election thankfully. But I have voted often enough to have lost the breathlessness I had that first time. Time has made it hard not to become jaded. Can my single vote really make a difference?

This year for the Chicago elections I face a more burning question. What if I don't like either of the candidates who are running for office? Should I vote for the "lesser of two evils"? Or is it more responsible to withhold my vote to express my disapproval of either candidate?

Chicago politics have been in the national news enough that most people can probably understand my frustration with having dishonest and truly the wrong people in office. So I ask again? Is it better to vote for the lesser of two evils? or to withhold my vote in expression of my disapproval of either candidate?

photo by Rob Bouden

You can read more of Melanie's writing at her blog, tales from the crib.