A Fork in the Road

“As long as I remember to vote this November, I am not throwing away my shot,” sang Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the acclaimed Broadway musical "Hamilton," during a recent Saturday Night Live episode he hosted. As this seemingly never-ending election season reaches its final days, Miranda’s message is of vital importance for voters invested in the direction of their city, state, and country.

The outcome of the presidential election, for instance, appears in some forecasts to be far from a foregone conclusion. Although other predictions show a less close race, ultimately, the next president will not be decided until after polls close tonight. The two major parties’ candidates offer very different visions for our country, as do lesser-known candidates, so it is incumbent upon voters at Harvard and beyond to research the candidates, evaluate these visions, and cast their ballots.

Furthermore, the race for a majority in the Senate is of similar importance and greater uncertainty. Voters in many states must not only consider who they would like to see in the White House come January, but also the people who they would like to see on Capitol Hill sending legislation to our next president and voting to confirm a nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy. Because the impact of their decisions today will ramify for generations to come, voters should not take their civic duty lightly.

In many cases, voters will be able to voice their views on particular issues by voting on one of the 162 statewide ballot measures across the country. In Massachusetts alone, voters have the opportunity to weigh in on casinos, animal welfare, marijuana legalization, and charter school expansion. These measures, and those in other states, will have immediate impact on the direction of our country, and they must think carefully before supporting or opposing them.

Despite this paramount responsibility, deciding against voting may seem tempting. It is no small task to make an informed decision on measures and candidates up and down the ballot, and taking the time to cast a vote seems futile to many, especially in the age of predictions by websites such as FiveThirtyEight that seem to trivialize the influence of any individual voter. This sort of illogic and apathy erodes the core tenets of democracy; voting is of the utmost importance for eligible citizens concerned about the country’s collective future, as it is the most direct way by which they can influence the decisions our leaders will make.