CNN anchor John Berman spent what felt like an eternity Tuesday morning thanking viewers who voted, as though it’s an act of the highest virtue. It’s not. In fact, there are plenty of reasons not to vote.
Here are just three of them.
Don’t vote if you haven’t been following the presidential campaign. We don’t need anyone blindly pulling levers. If you’re ignorant of the issues and the candidates, we don’t need you electing our leaders who will be making very consequential decisions.
Don’t vote if you’re still undecided about the presidency. Anyone who hasn’t made up their mind by Election Day probably doesn’t care which way the vote goes. They can do themselves a favor and sit this one out.
Don’t vote if you don’t like Joe Biden but don’t like the idea of casting a vote of affirmation for President Trump.
That last one is very important, particularly as it relates to key groups that can swing this election — namely, black voters and white women. A lot of people don’t like Trump on a personal level. They don’t like the name-calling, the tweeting, or the needless whining. But they do like that the Trump administration oversaw a strong economy. They do like that he secured the automatic renewal of funding for historically black colleges and universities. They do like that he has advocated for the quick and safe reopening of businesses that were shuttered during the pandemic lockdowns. They do like that he signed into law a tax cut that provided middle-income earners with significantly more money each month. They do like that the Trump administration has curbed the growth of immigration, allowing Americans already here more opportunities to advance before worrying about everyone else across the globe.
Anyone who likes any of those things but doesn’t like the person who did them doesn’t have to vote. In fact, they shouldn’t.
Go vote. Unless you shouldn’t.
