Voting is a sacred right. Blacks have been jailed, harassed, abused and even killed to obtain the right for them and their children to have a say in a supposedly representative democracy. The Reconstruction era was an opportunity for blacks to finally regain the dignity and voice they had lost in the antebellum south. These rights were snatched again through the use of manipulative tactics in the Jim Crow era, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, which prevented blacks from participating in the political process. In 2010, voting is completely free. The only requirement is a valid state ID. However, a student-run organization at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill called Unifying Truth Project is encouraging students not to vote. According to the nonprofit student organization, constituents should stop participating in elections, particularly the congressional election in November.
The Unifying Truth Project asserts that until the flawed and corrupted election system is corrected, constituents should strike, sending a “clear and commanding message” to politicians that corruption will not be accepted or supported. While politics have a notorious reputation for involving back-alley deals and greased palms to pass legislation that does not represent the best interest of constituents, it’s the lesser of two evils. Voting is a privilege, one that can only be taken for granted in a free democracy like the United States. Constituents only make themselves the victim and take away their own voice by refusing to participate in the election of representatives. Rather than voicing dissatisfaction with the system through complete withdrawal of participation, constituents should research, support and elect representatives with honest and clear agendas. Unifying Truth Project supports the surrender of choice and voters’ power, making it all the easier for corrupt and manipulative politicians to be elected.