Vote or Don't

The age old thought is that democracy will not work if the people don't get out and vote. However there is another side to this argument. I will say that ideally all citizens legally allowed to vote should, in order to make this the most fair democracy possible. The problem is that it doesn't work out so cleanly in the end. With voting becoming almost pop culture with the "vote or die" fiasco and the peer pressure many face to "let their voice be heard", many people who wouldn't normally vote have come out of the woodwork the last two elections. The numbers aren't skyrocketing to never before seen heights and a lot of these voting movements are just big talk, but either way a troubling trend is occurring. People who know next to nothing about our government, it's mechanisms, nor the actual candidates are voting based off of what they read in 140 characters or hear in sound bytes. I know it happens every election, but recently the young vote has been the group targeted by candidates looking to take advantage of social networking. A huge flaw in the democratic process is also the greatest strength, anyone can vote. Scroll through your twitter/facebook timeline. Tell me how many of those people do you trust to have a say in the direction this country is going. I love America but I doubt a majority understand the electoral college and how it skews votes so that while everyone can vote, all of our votes are not equal. I also doubt that a majority of Americans realize that because of that fact, "that all men are created equal" really has no basis in reality socially, economically, or politically in this country. I'm not trying to say that certain people shouldn't vote and others should. Every individual has the right to choose who they wish for whatever reason they wish, this is America bish! It's just really important to take the time and learn the process. It's important to not listen to your candidates but read up on them and their voting history. It's important to be involved with voting not just during presidential elections, but also during Congressional, State, and Local elections. After all, the further down the totem pole you go, the more direct an impact your representative has on your daily life.