The Importance of Voting by Hattie Lindell

Voting. A word defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “an expression of opinion

or preference.” A concept well known by all Americans, as it should, considering our
many things about this country are decided by elections. President, judges, mayors and
governors are all voted upon by the general population; and if not, they are decided by
elected officials.

Considering how much of our countries government revolves around voting and
elections, wouldn’t it make sense for Americans to make their opinions heard through
ballots?

Interestingly enough, that isn’t what is happening today. The 2008 US Census Bureau
says that only 63% of all people registered to vote did. That doesn’t seem that bad, until
you realize that only 72% of America is even registered to vote. In reality, only 45% of
America is even voting in these elections, even though they could determine the fate of
the country.

Personally, I believe that everyone should vote, because everyone has an opinion. In
America’s democracy, we value our ability to choose who is in office, and revel in the
fact that we have a say in what goes on in the political world. However, when less than
half the country is voting regularly, we have to ask ourselves: is this really a
democracy?

Yes, many people will argue, of course it is. We still have elections, and the country is
run by the President. But look at it this way: the whole purpose of democracy is for
every person to have a say in what goes on, and when less than half the country is
voting, not everyone’s voice is being heard. And when not everyone is being heard,
that’s not a democracy.

What concerns me is the fact that most of the people who don’t vote are young, those
who are only 18 to 24 years old. Even though many people are opinionated and have
different beliefs and ideals, most Millennials (individuals 18 to 29 years old) have
removed themselves from the electoral process.

When I first heard these statistics, I was shocked. We always assume that everyone
votes, but that is not the reality. What I found hardest to believe was the fact that only
about half of the Millennials actually actively voice their thoughts. I personally cannot
wait until I am old enough to have a say in the workings of the government, and I hate
the thought that people who have the opportunity abuse it.

Because of this, and the fact that voter quite literally have the future of the country in
their hands, I urge any and all people reading this to realize how big a part of
democracy voting is, and to use the opportunities given to them to make a difference in
America.
Citizens of many countries complain about the world around them, and many don’t have
to option to change that world. However, you do. The youth of America have the power
to make decisions that can affect the country. If you don’t like the way America is run,
and yet you don’t vote in elections or make your opinions heard, then you, not the
government is at fault.

I hope that in reading this essay I have helped you realized the importance of voting:
because with the power to choose what happens in this country, we make America
stronger. You personally can make America a stronger country by making the electoral
process better, and that means voting.

Reflective writing relies heavily on personal experience and memory, treating

them as sources of knowledge and understanding. We recount memories to make
sense of them for ourselves and others. In reflective writing there is an
alternation between recalling things and commenting on their significance. 
Whether the subject of reflective writing is a dramatic moment in one’s own life or
the history of the universe, it tends to involve memory. It also involves examining
something particular for the purpose of drawing broader conclusions – often
personal, ethical, or philosophical.
 
As a reader of reflective writing, you should always be attentive to the details of a
writer’s recollected experience as well as to the ways they illuminate the broader
questions the writer is exploring.  And in your own reflective writing, you should
make sure that you convey both dimensions of your experience – what happened,
and what the events enabled you to understand.
 
WRITING REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
A reflective essay is usually composed of a combination of the following
elements:

 a detailed account of past experiences or events (personal, historical, or

cultural)
 observations about the larger significance of these experiences or events
 a narration of how the writer either came to understand that significance or
was somehow changed by the experiences or events in question

Your own memory and experience will be your primary source for much reflective
writing. But once you have recalled something in detail and made sense of it for
yourself, you are still faced with the problem of how to present it to readers in a
way that will catch their attention, keep them reading, and invite them to reflect.
You must select and organize your material so that you provide a readable
account of it. Your point of view – the physical and mental standpoint from which
you tell your story – is crucial in reflective writing.
If your reflections are focused on a single event, you will probably want to write a
straightforward narrative, telling you readers what happened in a relatively direct
way. Though you cover the event from beginning to end, your narrative should
emphasize the details that you consider most striking and significant.
 
If your reflection centers on a particular person, you might want to emphasize
description as much as narrative, offering a portrait of this person that reveals his
or her character in a variety of contexts or situations. Though you may rely
heavily on narration, you will not be able to cover incidents in as much detail as if
you were focusing on a single event. Instead, you should isolate the most striking
details from each incident you choose to recall.
 
If your reflections are focused on a particular problem or issue, you need to
combine narration, description, and explanation, bringing together your
recollections of numerous events and persons to reveal the nature of the
problem. You might survey they problem chronologically from beginning to end,
or you might begin with a high point and circle around it, developing its context
as you explore your understanding of the experience.
 
Whatever the subject of your reflection, it’s a good idea to devote at least a
couple of paragraphs to stepping back and drawing broad conclusions from the
details. You may also want to tell the story of how you came to understand these
conclusions yourself. Paragraphs of this type often come toward the end of a
reflective essay.
 
Finally, there is no formula for reflective writing. The important things to consider
are how you’ll reveal connections between the particular and the general, how
you’ll use details to get readers invested in your reflections, and how you’ll
illuminate the subject at hand by drawing conclusions that will surprise readers.