I find it absurd that even if no one voted, there would still be a president elected. In America, we are promised the freedom of democracy and the power to choose our leaders. So why do so many people still feel like their vote doesn’t matter?

We have all heard that the popular vote does not determine the presidential election, the electoral college does, but what purpose does the popular vote then serve to begin with? 

The Electoral College was created to balance voting power in the states. It puts the power of the state’s vote into the hands of a few “electors” who are determined ambiguously by political parties. This system, essentially, sets up a barrier between people’s power over the presidential election and the power of political parties to determine who becomes the leader of America for the coming years. 

No wonder people feel their vote no longer matters nowadays because, at the federal level, it literally does not. There have been multiple occasions where a candidate has won the popular vote yet lost the Electoral College. While the system was made in good faith, it is clear that it can be easily manipulated to fit a political agenda. 

I think it would be awesome if no one voted in the presidential election, and we still saw someone get voted in to demonstrate the absurdity of this issue. Imagine watching the polls stay completely still all day, and then all of a sudden at 6 p.m., boom, we have a new president that no one voted for!

What is important in our political system, however, is to vote locally. The Missouri ballot has issues of abortion, fair wages and most importantly, sports gambling to fund our schools – your vote on these issues actually does matter. 

Voting locally ensures that we put people we trust into positions of power. The House of Representatives and Senate of Missouri have more of an impact on community issues than federal officials do. They have the power to change how the electors are chosen for the Electoral College in Missouri. Putting people who uphold systemic injustice through their agendas into office will only perpetuate further oppression. 

So please, do not vote on the federal level. I know I am not the only one who does not want to pick the worst of two evils. Instead, vote locally and vote often. That is how we create real and lasting change.