Voting is your civic duty. This is a pretty common statement, but we must realize that all decisions made by the President of the United States affects you in some way.

If you ever think that just one vote in a sea of millions cannot make a difference, consider some of the closest elections in U. S. history.

In 2000, Al Gore narrowly lost the Electoral College vote to George W. Bush. The election came down to a recount in Florida, where Bush had won the popular vote by such a small margin that it triggered an automatic recount and a Supreme Court case ( Bush v. Gore). In the end, Bush won Florida by 0.009 percent of the votes cast in the state, or 537 votes. Had 600 more pro-Gore voters gone to the polls in Florida that November, there may have been an entirely different president from 2000-2008.

More recently, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 by securing a close Electoral College win. Although the election did not come down to a handful of votes in one state, Trump’s votes in the electoral College decided a tight race. Clinton had won the national popular vote by nearly three million votes, but the concentration of Trump voters in key districts in “swing” states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan helped seal enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

Your vote may not directly elect the president, but if your vote joins enough others in your voting district or county or parish (as in Louisiana), your vote undoubtedly matters when it comes to electoral results. Most states have a “winner take all” system where the popular vote winner gets the state’s electoral votes.

You need to be informed about all of the issues surrounding this upcoming Presidential election. Whoever, your choice may be; whether you are Republican or Democrat or Other; whatever your race may be, you need to be aware of all of the issues and circumstances impacting this election and make a decision to make your vote count for the BEST president for ALL of the people. You should vote for a person of Respect, a person who shows Compassion, a person who is not an obvious Racist and for a person who is Fair.

Educate yourself by reading, watching television, surfing the internet or by asking questions to get logical answers that make sense and are comparable to your values.

Prepare to Vote in November because your Vote is a necessity and it Counts.