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Why Should I Vote?
by Georgia

One night last December, my mom came into my room and said, "Hey, the last day for registration is tomorrow. You'd better go." Last day for what? I thought to myself, then, I remembered that the next day, December 27, was the last day for registering voters.
So, we woke up early the next day and my mom literally dragged me to our barangay hall to get a clearance then straight to the municipio to get registered.

While I filled my registration form, a thought kept running through my head: Why do I have to vote anyway?

Now, three months and enough research later, I've finally come to realize the importance of voting. Why, I can't even wait for the day they'll put indelible ink on my forefinger (something I used to dread, but now see as a sign of distinction).

I came across an old copy of the Philippine Constitution (a book I had not opened since highschool) and found that it was only recently that voting, or suffrage, became a right. In the 1973 Constitution, suffrage was more of a citizen's obligation where it said, "Suffrage shall be exercised..." It was only in 1986 that voting became a right as it was changed to "Suffrage may be exercised..." Now, we have a choice whether or not to vote. How much difference a couple of

words can make, huh?
To be able to realize the importance of voting, we have to know the importance of elections in a democratic country like ours. If you still don't know what democracy is after the EDSA II, then you've been living under a rock too long.

A democracy is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Article II, Section 1 sums this up by saying "sovereignty resides in the people." Through these elections we are able to exercise this power that is constitutionally ours. For the elections to remain efficient, we need to participate in them to make sure that the democratic system works for us.

The first-ever elections were held in Athens some 2,500 years ago when the citizens elected consuls, tribunes and other officials. Today, elections are held for that same purpose of selecting people who will occupy national and local government positions.
It is also important to note that elections should be held regularly because, if not, then we'd probably end up with some Marcos or Erap wannabe for a really long time unless, of course, we resort to violence to kick him out (definitely not a good idea). So, with regularly held elections, we can remove those who no longer have the welfare of the citizens in mind, and replace them with those who can hear the pulse of the people better--individuals who address issues which are for the good of the people.

In the Philippines, regularly-held elections (every 6 years for presidential elections, every 3 years for other national and local positions) gives us a choice and a say in who will govern us, and, most importantly, ensures that our government remains responsive to the people.

So, are you going to vote on May 14? The whole country sure hopes so. See you at the booth then.