Publicado el 07-10-2012
If you Don’t Like the
Presidential Candidates…
Now that the important general election of November 6th is getting closer, it is timely to make some comments about voter abstention in general and that of the Latino voters in particular.
It has been reported that there are twelve million Latino voters registered in the two traditional parties or as independent. However, it is anticipated that only half of them will vote in November. And this is a serious mistake. Some people say that one of the reasons could be that they do not like either presidential candidate, that is, President Barack Obama of Republican Mitt Romney.
Although a voter might not like a presidential candidate, it should be remembered that the November election is not only presidential. There are also federal representatives and senators in the running, and these are almost as important as the president. A voter who does not like the presidential candidates can, anyway, vote for the representatives and senators who are the ones that write the laws that the president signs or vetoes.
Right now, the House of Representatives is controlled by the Republican Party and the Senate by the Democratic. Republicans need to keep control in the House and increase their senators to control the Senate. The Democrats want to do the same thing, but the other way. A president with a Congress controlled by a party that is not his own will face a very difficult situation unless, thinking about the high interest of the nation, he makes bipartisan agreements.
That is why it is so important that all registered voters go to the polls on November 6th. If they don’t like the presidential candidates, they should vote for the candidates to Congress, but they must vote in some way. In a democracy the vote is the opportunity that the citizens have to participate in their government. Unless it is for a very powerful reason, such as an accident or sickness, no one should abstain from voting that day. What is at stake is the future of the nation and, consequently, the future of all who live here. In many aspects, also the future of the free world.
The twelve million Latino voters must give an example of political culture in the next general election so that, with their vote, they participate in the future government.
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