I'm sure your mailbox has been flooded with political candidate flyers and you've taken your phone off the hook (if you have a landline), from all the evening calls. I'm of course a HUGE proponent for getting out there and voting -- too many people have fought long and hard for those rights for us -- but I understand how exhausting the endless campaign messages, ads, calls, etc. can be. I'm not stumping for any particular party, but I am campaigning for people to think for themselves. We have all the information we need to make informed decisions (there are bipartisan sites like Project Vote Smart to look up any candidate's voting record), and I want to emphasize the power of critical thinking to combat the oversimplification of issues, namely internet memes. 

The Birdy hopes you partook of your right as an American citizen and voted today. I honestly don't care who you voted for, just that you did your part to be heard and appreciate the hard-won right you have to vote in every election, because I guarantee someone had to fight for your right to be heard as a citizen. The least we can do is do our duty and get that nifty "I Voted" sticker.

The most important thing to remember is no matter what candidate or cause the votes favor -- both nationally and on a local level -- we make the effort to stay strong, work towards unity, and be civil. That's been a difficult thing to do these last months. I haven't been happy with either sides of the political spectrum, to be honest, it's been a truly brutal time. But I think something to remember is, no matter what happens, we still have to wake up the next morning, work and live alongside everyone, just the same as before. Just because you don't agree 100% with someone doesn't change the fact that you are friends or family, and that you come together on the things that matter. Whatever happens, let us continue our commitment to look ahead, because we're all still on the same journey, and the destination can never be a nation divided.  

Jaunty Fine Print: graphic by Denise Sakaki

So the big question of the day is: Did you vote? The answer should, without question, be YES. You'll no doubt roll your eyes or complain how you're sick of how annoying the political ads are, blaming them for making you not want to vote, but this Birdy is stomping her little foot down and saying: ENOUGH WITH THE EXCUSES. Because there are none. There is no excuse not to vote. No time? Not able to get to the polls? Most states -- Washington in particular -- make it very easy to register for mail-in voting, so you get your ballot mailed to you ahead of time and can study up on the pamphlets and avoid all annoying ads and signs, making your choice in the comfort of your own home and quietly mail it off.

So what if it's local elections and not the big-whammy Presidential election (coming up soon, of course)? Local elections are even more vital for you to have your voice heard because those decisions affect you directly. Money for road projects that may affect your commute. Taxes that could affect your living expenses. If you have children, there may be school-related bonds up for a vote that may give or take away resources. By pretending it doesn't matter, you allow yourself to say you, your family and your own children aren't worth being considered. You gonna stand for those fightin' words?? Be counted. Be considered. It's your Jaunty duty to have your voice heard, regardless of who or what you vote for.

Sure, I'm sick of all the ads, pamphlets and door-to-door campaigning myself, but that doesn't change the fact that I realize not voting pays the biggest disrespect to so many who have fought with their very lives to establish the right and ability for all Americans of all backgrounds, conditions and gender, to have their voice be heard as citizens.

Jaunty Fine Print: information diagram by Denise Sakaki, voting rights information gathered from Wikipedia