If You Are a US Citizen, Vote on Nov. 8

I am a political junkie, I have been since I arrived in the United States from Canada in 1990. I have watched the news shows every Sunday morning since then (David Brinkley through George Stephanopoulos), I watch and read the news every day. David Cohen and I were roommates as the 1992 cycle was ramping up and I remember debating the pros and cons of Ross Perot and watching the amazing Dana Carvey playing both Perot and Bush on SNL (“If I am elected president, you don’t have to pay me one red cent, but if I grow the economy 3%, I get a billion dollars”). It was awesome.

I’m not shy about talking about my beliefs, in my book I said that “although I consider myself a liberal and certainly lean far left by American standards, I always joke that my family considers me the Republican of my family”. But I respect that fact that everyone has the right to their point of view. Normally, I stay away from the topic in public and on social media.

This year is different; I am scared about the consequences of the result because so much hangs in the balance. I am not going to preach about who you should vote for and why, everyone is entitled to their opinion (this is part of my long held belief that different opinions equals diverse opinions equals diversity of thought). But take a step back and think about which outcome you really want. I am imploring you to not stay home; this cycle is too important for that. And if you are unhappy with the candidates, don’t cop out and spoil your ballot. Choose someone.

If you’re one of the hundreds of employees that work at Techstars, take as much time off work as you need to get to the polls. I encourage all companies to make the same offer.