Collegiate Times

As we approach that critical point in time where our 2008 presidential candidates actually begin to matter, the voting populous still seems to be mired in indecision.

Have you chosen your candidate yet? Are you prepared to exercise your state-given right to vote, furthering the perpetual race for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Are you sure that your candidate can lead the American people in the most effective and ethical way possible?

Obviously, few of us can answer these questions at this point, seeing as the race for '08 is just beginning to heat up. Voting, whether for your local, state or federal representative is a time-honored tradition upon which the United States has proudly built itself. An undeniable pillar of democracy, our right to vote, is an inexpressibly important facet of the American way, and all of us should be grateful to have that right. From the moment we are aware that we have a government, most of us are healthily reminded at home and school to "get out and vote," "rock the vote," and "vote or die."

Students patrol campus for our political clubs, recruiting members, enabling them to register to vote as they traverse the Drillfield at 8 a.m. It seems as though out of all of our constitution-granted rights and privileges, the right to vote is by far the most important. However, there is a difference between the right to vote and actually voting.

The United States government operates within a two-party system. That's obvious. We are either Republicans or Democrats, right wing or left wing. It's a black and white issue. But what if, like me, you find yourself disenfranchised, abandoned and maybe even betrayed by a party you used to call home? It makes sense to simply cross the centerline and switch teams, but what if the opposing side doesn't share your beliefs either? Is there anywhere us wayward citizens can call home, with fair representation? No, there isn't. Due to the nature of our "first past the post," simple majority voting system combined with our tradition of single-member constituencies, popular representation in congress has become terribly skewed. Countries like France and Germany, both of whom have a great deal of disdain for the two-party system, employ different balloting techniques employing proportional representation to insure that a much wider gamut of political options are available in their respective countries. By doing so, these European countries discourage the centrist, "Republicrat" politics that have become the norm in Congress. The problem of fair representation does not lie within the American people or Congress, but in the institutions and procedures that actively endorse our two-party system. This means that no matter how many times I vote libertarian, it's not going to matter.

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