Voting Doesn't Matter! Voting Changes Nothing! [View all]

[MineralMan]

Neither of those is a true statement. Both are false statements.

In November 2012, there was an election held in Minnesota. On the ballot were members of Congress and members of the Minnesota State Legislature. There was also a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot that would have made marriage equality unconstitutional in the State of Minnesota.

Here's what happened in that election, instead:

1. The state voted No on that Constitutional Amendment. The result was that no such amendment became part of the Minnesota Constitution.
2. The state voted out the Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature, and voted in a Democratic majority in both houses, to go with our Democratic Governor.
3. In May of 2013, that state legislature passed a bill making marriage equality the law in Minnesota. The next day, our Governor signed that legislation. Same sex couples will begin getting married in our state on August 1.

We voted. It mattered. Our votes changed things in a dramatic way. We became the 12th state to enact marriage equality. That happened in just six months from the time of the election. Change.

Voting changes things. Not voting changes things sometimes, too. Had Democrats not voted in Minnesota in November, 2012, instead of marriage equality, we'd have a Constitutional Amendment that made getting marriage equality far, far more difficult.

But we did vote. The change happened. Among those getting married in August are my wife's cousin and his partner of 28 years. Don't tell them that voting changes nothing. Don't tell them that voting doesn't matter. My wife and I are celebrating with them today, and we'll be celebrating with them in August, again.

Voting matters. Voting makes changes happen.

GOTV 2014 and Beyond!