Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, you have probably heard about the presidential race. Whether you are hoping for Sanders or Trump, Clinton or Rubio, you are probably feeling overwhelmed by the political information.
It's not a surprise to be hearing about these topics all the time. You are probably friends with at least one person like me who is obsessed with the political game and is anxiously waiting for the presidential nominations to be finalized.
Fear not, this is not about those politics. This is about other politics. Other, very important politics.
There are two crucial things happening besides presidency, the results of which could have a greater impact on our country than the election of the next president of the United States. We are currently in the process of nominating and confirming a Supreme Court Justice, and there 469 seats in Congress up for grabs.
Let me break this down for you.
The Supreme Court basically shapes our legal system. Like in the case of legalizing marriage for all couples, their say overrules all other courts. The moment the Supreme Court declared that denying marriage to same sex couples was unconstitutional, it was officially against our constitution to do so. That is how they work (in not super fancy talk, anyway). Right now, there are only eight Justices, and this means that there can be ties in our Supreme Court.
A tie? You want to know what happens if they tie? The lower courts decision is upheld. Yeah, basically, they have to default back to what the lower court said. Which is not the point of a Supreme Court.
The Republicans in Congress have declared that any nomination for the justice will be blocked because they believe President Obama shouldn't be in charge of picking the next justice, and we should wait for the next president before doing so. Not to be rude to our Congress, but Obama is doing his job. They are not. On average, it has only taken 67 days to complete the nomination and confirmation process, and Obama still has well over 200 days left.
Speaking of Congress, did you know that in 2016, 469 of the 535 seats are up for election? This means we can drastically change our congress. Why shouldn't we? These are the people who have to work hand in hand with our president. They have to check his power and do what is best for our country. They pass our legislation, they vote on wars. These 469 seats can change the entire face of our government.
But only if you vote.
Ah, yes, that thing people feel is worthless to do. It is a crucial part of being a citizen in your country to vote for the people who represent us.
Tired of feeling like our country is dumb? Vote.
Tired of Democrats? Vote.
Tired of Republicans? Vote.
Tired of both? Vote.
Want people with a fresh take on politics? Vote.
Want a younger generation in our congress? Vote.
Want to perform your duty as an American citizen? Vote.
What was the point of this article?
To remind you to vote.
