The Maximalist

We are starting to enter my favorite time of year. No, it is not the baseball season (even though I am excited to see the Texas Rangers win another World Series). It is election season! If you are like me, you probably make every election night–midterm or otherwise–a blockbuster event with takeout and merch from my favorite candidate. 

I, however, am sure that many of you are thinking, “how the heck could you be this excited about voting and watching the results roll in?” My response–Steve Kornacki. 

All jokes aside, it is very, very important that you vote–in both the primary and general election. To encourage this, there are two common misconceptions that I want to address here. The first is that your vote doesn’t really matter. The second is that you should only vote for candidates with whom you perfectly align. 

These two comments come up too often in my classes here at Santa Clara. Your vote does matter! One vote may not add up to much on the national level, but there are always small local races that can have a profound impact on your community. Being complacent about any election–from a mayor’s race to the presidential election–is counterproductive and makes it so that fewer elected representatives actually represent the ideas you believe in (whatever they may be).

I am far more concerned about how many classmates expect ideological purity and refuse to support candidates who do not pass their impossible tests. In college classes, it is fine to debate policies and be ideological–but it is imprudent to bring this ivory-tower thinking to real-life politics. 

I will be the first to say that I wish I could find a candidate who I agree with more. But I have learned that compromise is an important aspect of being a citizen. And trust me, I have to do this more than I would like politically; I am a California combination of fiscally conservative and socially moderate.

I know neither of the candidates we will likely have in November are perfect choices–and we should not expect them to be. But this is too important of an election to sit out, so wherever you stand and regardless of who you plan to support, please, please exercise your right to vote!