Now Is the Time to Vote for the World You Want In the Midterm Elections (Here’s Why)

The 2018 midterm elections are upon us. And that means it’s time to vote. Anyone with a computer, phone or TV knows the laser focus on the American midterm elections this year.

Pundits and newscasters will tell you it’s the most important election in decades, that it’s a referendum on the current administration, that it will signal which way the U.S. is leaning in these turbulent times.

To some extent all that misses the point. The midterm elections, like every election, are about choosing the kind of world you want to live in.
 
 

The Incredible Importance of Voting

In Argentina, voting is mandatory for most everyone between 18 and 70. It’s one of 22 countries with compulsory voting.

In the U.S. you have the choice to sit elections out. You can choose to leave the future in other people’s hands. That’s freedom.

Even if change is incremental, vote. Even if you think it’s ceremonial, vote. In a representative democracy, you can only choose who represents you.

Should you not turn out to vote, you run the risk that your right to bitch is only the first right you will lose.
 

You’re also free to do better. Don’t take that power for granted.

 
Some of you may be thinking, “I’ve heard all this before and I still won’t vote.” If you’re an American citizen you wouldn’t be alone in that sentiment.

Amongst countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. trails most others in voter turnout. It’s 31st out of 35.
 

Why U.S. Voter Turnout Is So Low Vs. the Power of Midterm Elections

No one seems to know definitively why Americans vote at such a low rate, but there are lots of theories: disenfranchisement, complacency, voter suppression, cynicism, or even that after 250 years, people are bored with voting.

When people do vote, it’s usually the year of presidential elections and definitely more often than local or midterm elections.

The reasoning of this is fairly clear: they believe the stakes are higher, and will vote on other offices placed on the presidential ballot.

Also, these days the presidential election is inescapable on media, social or otherwise. The 2016 presidential campaign ran rampant in the news for nearly 2 years before the actual election.

Local elections are easier to ignore because you can pick up your phone or check social media without having to engage with it, and increasingly we’re less plugged into local news.
 
 

Why Should You Vote In the 2018 Midterms Elections?

Just as a structure is made of individual bricks, local and the midterm elections are the foundation of the government that controls the legislative, judicial and executive branches.

It absolutely matters who is retained as a judge, who heads the local sheriff’s department, who runs the state and represents its constituents.
 

Local and the midterm elections are the foundation of the government that controls the legislative, judicial and executive branches.

 
The government is not extracurricular to your life. It’s the infrastructure that supports or neglects your home, your job, your family, your life as a citizen who is subject to the laws, ordinances and processes that the government creates.

But beyond all this super important stuff lies an essential truth. We create the world we live in with our intentions, actions and choices. Mindfulness teaches us this. Manifestation is a practice.

A better place is one more ballot away, just as it it one more positive thought, one more right action, one more step on that path.

I don’t know about you, but I choose to have a say because I haven’t given up on the world I want.

Mindfulness teaches that manifestation requires focus and intention. Don’t overlook the elections as a chance to close the gap between the real and ideal.
 
 

The 2018 Midterm Elections Are Here – Be the Change and Vote!

The election takes place Tuesday, November 6th. Early voting and voting by mail are underway.

It’s important to know your state’s registration deadline and all related information.

You can check your state’s polling locations and your registration status here. You can check your state’s registration deadlines here. Go prepared! Check your state’s voter ID laws here.

For more information, statistics, and voting resources, you can visit Ballotpedia.com.

Inform yourself, know all the facts, and most importantly – get out there and vote!!

The post Now Is the Time to Vote for the World You Want In the Midterm Elections (Here’s Why) appeared first on YogiApproved™.

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