Just Ten Minutes

I have a problem with people who don't want to hear about politics. I mean, I also have a problem with people who refuse to speak to family members and/or unfriend people over politics. Probably most people who are afraid to hear about politics - or admit their personal beliefs - have a crazed relative or two.

Or possibly they don't know what their personal beliefs are.

I had a friend once, a competent 26 year old with a career and a condo, who said she voted however her Dad told her to. She hated "all the attack ads and arguments". I get that, I really do. I would be so happy if politicians weren't allowed to make ads. Or if their ads just consisted of a quick description of their platforms.

But just because you hate attack ads doesn't mean that who is President (or Governor, or Congressperson, or Senator, or whatever) doesn't affect you. This same friend later became very upset when she learned that she had voted for the guy whose state bill wreaked havoc with her job. In a movie or sitcom, she would have learned her lesson at this point. She would have started visiting politfact.com or ontheissues.org for ten minutes before each election. But she didn't, now all she does is bitch about how her vote doesn't count anyway.

We're not really friends anymore. It doesn't help that now she gets her political information from her Dad and her pastor.

And because her Dad and her  pastor prioritize  this one social issue over anything else, my friend keeps voting for people whose bills have made things more difficult for her financially and professionally.

We are so fortunate in this country that we get to vote without fear of reprisals (unless your family and friends are very vehement and even then, you don't have to tell them). We have choices. We have debates, where you can actually see what the candidates think. We have websites where we can see the accuracy of the candidate's quotes. We can fastforward through the attack ads. Or realize that ads aren't usually interested in presenting all the facts.

We don't have to rely on what our parents, spouses, friends, churches and Facebook timelines say. We can take a Vote Match quiz to help us choose our priority issues and candidates with the best match.

It's not hard to become an informed voter.

You don't have to tell the people who'll disagree with you, or argue with anyone about it. You don't have to become a political activist. You don't even have to share articles on Facebook. But if you care about our country and our future, you do have to be an informed voter.

All it takes is ten minutes.