top ten reasons to vote

so as you've probably noticed, i'm pretty much never political or serious, except that deep down i think i am an extremely political and serious person trapped in a non-political silly person's body. well, okay, not really. but i do think voting is super important. and with tomorrow being election day in thunder bay (and in some other sort of big important place, i've heard) i'm taking my message to the internet. so you guys, come on. you don't have to rock the vote if you think that sounds like too much work. i don't mind if you just, like, slow jam the vote.

1. if you don't vote, you don't get to complain. well, i mean, physically i guess you can complain, but if you start to bitch about the transit system or the location of the wind farm or the lack of  fences around the city to keep out deer or whatever and i say "well, who did you vote for then?" and you say "no one, stupid, i didn't vote" then i'll be all "no you're the stupid one, there is no way i can possibly take you opinion seriously now."
2. voting makes you a part of a community. this might seem lame to someone who has always had a community. but when you're new, it's tough to find ways to feel like you are contributing something. voting is one thing you can do! another thing is join clubs. but if you're like me and the only type of club you like is followed by the word "sandwich" then at least you have voting.
3. voting is exciting! you get to go to a school or community centre that likely you have never been to before. then you get that fun important piece of paper and get to go behind that little cardboard thing all by yourself like a spy or a ninja or something. then you come out and put your ballot in the ballot box and it's all very sombre and formal and ritualistic. it's like you're in a secret society or something, except the society is actuall real society and everyone knows about it.
4. voting is free. but NOT voting could cost you more than you know. (omg, how dramatic was that, you guys? someone needs to hire me asap).
5. voting helps you develop decision making skills. okay, let's face it, we're not all going to know the pros and cons of every candidate running for school board or whatever. but you're going to have to put the x in someone's box. so, maybe they have a really funny name! or, what's probably a more likely scenario, especially in a place like thunder bay, back in 1973 your best friend's cousin dated the candidate's stepson and he dumped her for that whore who works at safeway, so there's no way in hell you're ever voting for her.
6. two words: voters list. YOU'RE ON IT! and if the amount of comments i get from friends when i mention their names on my blog is any indication, people really like to be on lists!
7. voting is your civic duty. if you're one of those people who's all "fuck the system, it's just all boring old white dudes who are stupid and have nothing to do with me and ANARCHY 4 EVA!" then you really need to be voting most of all. in fact, voting is the bare minimum that you should be doing! you're not going to change the system by playing playstation and drinking beer, no matter how much sloppy political rhetoric you spout when you're drunk or how many anarchy tattoos you have.
8. voting makes you smarter. if you know you're going to vote, then it's bound to make you pay more attention to the issues. or at least make you pay attention when ads come on tv. and the more you pay attention, the more you learn. unless it's football. i've been paying attention to football for years and i still don't understand it. so maybe this theory is a little flawed.
9. not voting is kind of disrespectful. i mean, think of all those people who around the world and throughout history who have fought super hard to be able to vote. how do you think they would feel if they found out that you were all, "yeah, i could go vote, but instead i think i'm going to stay home and watch the biggest loser." you know who the biggest loser really is? that's right. it's you.
10. voting doesn't work unless everyone does it. that means everyone. okay?