Voting value?
Maybe it’s a myth that what we mark on our ballot papers is an accurate reflection of our political stance. Maybe our votes carry little weight simply because they are indifferent, costless, unbinding… Maybe every voter (or at least most voters) eventually becomes something of a politician – like those countless citizens responsible for the lack of credibility in politics. These citizens resemble informal members of the political faction, behaving unpredictably and superficially, not even explaining to themselves their changes of course which are capable of wrecking ideologies and voiced convictions. Another underlying question is whether we citizens, as units of the mythologized creation «the people,» really believe our vote comprises a more responsible statement than those when making a sworn statement? Do we believe in the effectiveness of our vote? Or are we just mechanically observing an old tradition? The days of unwavering allegiance are over, and it appears that more and more of us feel a sense of confusion and pointlessness when we vote. But we keep doing it – even if we are miles away from our voting district – if only not to contribute any further to the dwindling «power of the people» and to the establishment of an asphyxiating television democracy where a dozen or so TV personalities have become the people’s voice. And it is pitiful to see our elected state leaders reduced to the humble satellites of these circumstantial stars.
