“Vote-O-Matic”
Note: This story was submitted to the Rally Call Blog through the Center for Civic Engagement by Ivy Tech student Allison Martin. This might be a good time for us to state that the opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Bloomington and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Dinnertime in my home has become much more manageable now that I have installed the new vote-o-matic machine. Let me explain how things were before the vote-o-matic:
“What does everyone want?”
“I dunno. Whatever.”
“I want pizza and I won’t eat anything but pizza.”
“No! I will eat anything BUT pizza!”
“Ok, fine. How about hamburgers?”
No, I don’t really want hamburgers. I just won’t eat.”
“Let’s make a decision. What does everyone want?”
“I don’t know, but we are never going to agree.”
Now I have the vote-o-matic and life is much simpler. It says, “The choice for dinner tonight is chicken livers or cow tongue.” 2 out of 4 people vote for liver. 1 person votes for cow tongue. 1 person refuses to vote because he doesn’t like the choices. Liver it is!
Before the vote-o-matic was installed, we would discuss dinner options for hours, and never come to an agreement that pleased everyone. It was wearisome and we often went to bed hungry. Now everyone can formally express his/her opinion or choice and be recognized. Instead of sitting around talking about how awful this or that would be for dinner, we get up, go to the voting booth, and pick the choice that seems best. No one wins all of the time, but no one loses all of the time, either.
The vote-o-matic gives us all a sense that our opinions really do count. The non-voter in our family always loses out because his opinion is not heard or counted. He could have broken the liver/cow tongue tie just by voting for the least detestable food, but he gave up his rights. Oh well, his fate is determined by the rest of us.
Our choices for mayor, senator, or president aren’t always that great, either. The good news is that we can use the vote-o-matic to choose the least detestable government official, too. It’s easy, private, and confidential. No one ever has to know whether or not it was you who picked chicken livers. On the other hand, if you don’t vote, and we end up eating liver, I hope you get your fair share.