While many folks are busy describing this election as a transformational moment in how we approach elections, I ran into a situation this morning which reminds me that some things never seem to change at all. I was out taking my old hound dog for an early morning walk around the block when I passed one of my neighbors, a woman who lives down the street. In our usual way of finding some sort of small talk in passing, I asked her, “So… you and Roger heading down to vote this morning?”

I should note that she and her husband are lifelong, straight ticket Republican voters here in the mostly Blue state of New York. Her response was a bit jarring. “Naw. Not even going to bother.” I paused and asked her why. “There’s no Republicans getting in office this year. That clown is going to be president either way.”

I plead guilty to not spending the time to try to change her mind, but it certainly got me to thinking. I suppose it’s easy to be depressed when you don’t live in a “swing state” and it looks like your vote doesn’t count for anything. But the truth is, your vote always counts because we live in a nation where we look at more than the winners and losers. We look at the numbers and analyze their meaning. We take away trends and messages. How would you not want to vote? Even if you think your candidate will not prevail, would you not want to drive up their score as high as possible, if only to send a message to the winner which says, “Look at us. We’re still out here in the nation you are preparing to govern and we do not approve of this message.” If you feel your candidate is going to win, would you not want to run up their margin as high as possible to give them a greater mandate to rule and further validate their victory?

This will likely turn out to be the most historic election in our lifetimes in more ways than one. Why would you even consider sitting on the sidelines? A record number of people by a healthy margin are on track to go vote today. They will collectively decide the future course of the nation. Will you let them make that decision for you without so much as lifting a finger to express your own choice? We shall once again get the government we deserve. If you don’t vote, you deserve a government that doesn’t represent your views.

For the record, we went down very early this morning and voted. In our sleepy little village, my wife and I are generally the only ones in there except for the volunteers. We only get one voting machine in our precinct. This morning there was an honest to goodness line out the door when we left. I am encouraged.