Reply to comment

My instinctual response is -- YES! Of course your choices matter! Speaking strictly about the election; regardless of the outcome in whichever state you voted for, if you voted, you supported a candidate based on your own personal opinions. Even if the candidate you supported didn't win the state you voted in, your vote still mattered. How so? Because voting, or in general making a difinitive choice, you are solidifying and supporting your opinions, whether publicly or to yourself. Perhaps it's an idealistic view point, but your choices should matter to you even if they don't matter to anyone else.

I have a friend from home, who is a socialist. He is registered to vote and consistently goes to the polls to abstain from voting. To most this may seem like a ridiculous idea, but his ability to choose -- or in this case to abstain from chosing -- really does matter to him. His opinion is that he does not support any of the candidates, but instead of passively sitting back and complaining, he makes an effort to solidify his opinion in his own eyes and in the eyes of the government. My mother's addage rings out in my head: "If you don't vote, you can't complain!"