The Fourth of July is a special day. It reflects what we hold dear about our nation. Freedom, patriotism, and independence define it, and flags, fireworks, parades, and barbeques celebrate it. But as the Fourth approaches and we look forward to the celebration, our community should reflect upon the reason it exists and our responsibilities as American citizens. The greatest of those responsibilities is to participate in our democratic system and vote.

When it was born, the United States was so different than other Western nations because it was formed on the basis that people should hold the key to their own destiny, and therefore ultimately control the government that makes society’s rules. The Revolutionary War was fought because Americans did not feel that it was right to be told what to do without any say in the process. Since then, when men and women wearing the uniform of the United States fight, the underlying reason has been to defend the right of our citizens to participate in our own government. The quest for freedom is, at heart, the struggle to defend the right for everyone to vote.

The low voter turnout statewide in the last primary, particularly in Doña Ana County, is worrying for a number of reasons. Why do so patriotic a people refuse to take the small amount of time to vote and make their opinions about their society count? We hear reason after reason: I don’t trust the system; there aren’t any interesting races; it takes too much time. None of these excuses is good enough.

There is a growing number of Americans who do not trust their government. They call politicians crooks and liars (in a few cases they are right), and boycott the system by not voting. This reasoning makes no sense. The beauty of our democracy is that you can change it if you do not like it. If you are that disgusted with the system, vote for people who want to change it and make them stick to their promises. Or run for office yourself and change what you don’t like.

For those who think that there are no interesting races to vote on, think again. Local offices (city, county, school board, etc.) have a huge amount of power over our everyday lives. Examples include road maintenance, clean water, and the education of our children. And in New Mexico all of our judges are elected, making it imperative that people choose knowledgeable, honorable individuals to see over the most important criminal and civil decisions made in our society.

The most common reason not to vote this year was that people did not know or care about the election. To read about the candidates in the paper, make an informed decision about who you want, and then go and fill in a box at a polling place does not take a great deal of time. It is a small price to pay for the reward received—a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

It is massively important to understand that when citizens do not vote, a very small group of people control the governmental process. If politicians are not held accountable by the people, it becomes easy for them to fall under the influence of special interests that do not have the best interests of everybody at heart.

As the Fourth of July approaches, and an important November election draws near, please remember what it means to be an American citizen. Don’t let the sacrifices of so many go to waste. Do your duty and vote. For, as Ronald Reagan once wrote, “Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.”