The Right to Vote

Written by: Joana Yabut

Voting can make one’s voice be heard by the community; it can change everything around you, more so if that candidate you voted for took position. Exercising the right to vote is essential to being a good citizen. In our country, suffrage may be exercised by all citizens who are of at least 18 years of age and have resided in the Philippines for at least 1 year.

The right to vote makes democracy in a country alive. People have the power to make a difference, for the better or worse. One can either vote for a candidate who advances what the people need or a candidate who wishes to fulfill their selfish wants. Thus, it is vital for the people to vote for candidates based on their platforms instead of popularity. Learning who to vote for during an election is a must if you want the country to progress for the better.

A democracy is envisioned as a political structure in which the people are deemed to be equal participants in governing the country. Hence, in principle, a universal franchise is a fair and obvious way of implementing that vision.

As elections are fast approaching, let us remember what Dearborn Heights City Councilman Dave Abdallah has to say about the importance of exercising one’s right to vote: “This is one of the biggest rights we have, why leave it for someone else to decide? There’s a multitude of people who think, ‘It’s just one vote, my vote doesn’t count anyways.’ But if you take every person that thinks that and doesn’t vote because of that reason, it’s a lot more than just one vote and it does make a difference.”

REFERENCES:

Gasorski, B. (2020, September 9). Why you should exercise your right to vote. ArabAmericanNews. https://www.arabamericannews.com/2020/09/09/why-you-should-exercise-your-right-to-vote/