Mandatory? Really?

Today is election day. It's a midterm election, which usually doesn't get nearly the attention it's getting this year, but it's still the same thing as always. One side has power, the other side wants it, and we voters are being wooed, manipulated, poked, and prodded into backing certain candidates. There are red, white, and blue signs in every yard and public lot. Each candidate has commercials telling us that his/her opponent is a dishonest, cowardly, vermin-infested snake oil salesman with halitosis who wants to sleep with our mothers, drown our dogs, and kidnap our children. Okay, I may have taken a little bit of artistic license with that last bit. But I'm not that far off.

And as annoying as it is to get four calls from robots while my family is trying to eat dinner, I understand it. Get the message out there, woo those voters, and hope you get enough votes to be the next dishonest politician holding whatever office you seek. Kudos to you.

However, I do have a real problem with one thing. It's something along the lines of "Vote or Die." Yeah, "Diddy," I'm talking to you.

Don't take that to mean I'm a right wing voter, because you'd be dead wrong. I'm a common sense voter. I read up on the candidates. I look at their issue positions and whether or not their voting records agree with my views about what is best for my community, my state, and my country. I take the time to scour through and fill out a sample ballot and make sure I know who and what I'm voting for, no matter what ridiculous letter is after a candidate's name. I do my best to be an informed voter, as I think everyone should.

But more and more often lately I see comments from people saying that voting should be mandatory. That people should get out and vote no matter what they -

Wait, wait, wait... what was that again? Mandatory? Seriously? I have a problem with that.

First of all, this country is all about freedom. I don't care if Australia makes voting mandatory. That's their country. This is ours. We like CHOICES.

Second, there are a whole lot of people who have no idea what is going on. They don't know anything about the candidates. They don't understand the amendments. They have done no research. They vote a straight party ticket. They believe every attack ad they see. They vote D or R because their parents did, or because they didn't. They vote for the most attractive candidate. They vote based on gender, race, or shoe size.

When you vote, you are deciding who does and who does not get a job. If you were in charge of hiring someone at your place of business, you would interview the applicants. You would review their résumés, check their qualifications, ask their previous employers about their histories, etc. You would ask each applicant exactly why you should hire them. Would you base your decision on their race? On their gender? On their religion? On their sexual preference? Of course not. You'd be sued for discrimination. So why is it any different when you vote? You're choosing someone to work for you. Either choose wisely or don't choose at all.

Yes, everyone has the right to vote, but should they? I have the right to sue McDonalds for selling me soggy, half-cooked, ice cold french fries 5 times in a row, but that doesn't mean I should. I don't care if you're voting for R, D, L, I, G, or whatever party from which your candidate gets his/her funding. As long as you actually know WHY your chosen candidate is the best person for the job. If you cannot honestly and clearly answer that one question, then there's only one piece of election advice that I hope you follow:

Stay home.