In his Sept. 24 column Yoni Riemer attributes to me, and my PPS 55 class, the claim that “votes don’t matter.” He is kidding, and that’s okay, but there is an important underlying point.
What I said is that “No one vote determines the outcome. So, that can’t be the reason people vote. In a well-functioning democracy, people vote out of attachment to a party, and the vision of governance it represents, not because they think they are going to decide who wins or who loses.”
In a republic, we all have obligations. Participation in civic life is one of the most important. It doesn’t have to be all about my own narrow self-interests.
For example, one more voice in Cameron doesn’t affect the outcome of the basketball game, yet people yell themselves hoarse, cheering for the team they love. It’s part of what makes Duke such a great place.
So, go out and vote, all of you! Not because you will determine the outcome, but because you are part of community, and you take your obligations to that community seriously.
Michael Munger
Chair, Department of Political Science
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