This letter was printed in an edited form in the USA Today on Oct. 10, 2000.
4 October 2000
To the Editor:
I’m glad to hear Philip Meyer is planning to vote, and hope he votes for the candidate I favor. But what are we supposed to make of his list of reasons not to bother voting? He suggests that people do not vote because they are content. No doubt, there are some of these. But I know a lot of people who do not vote because they don’t see a candidate they like and are disgusted by our system of legalized bribery. People believe that only money counts, that Bush and Gore aren’t much different, and that neither can be trusted.
It’s true, as Meyer says, that one vote is only one vote, but it sets an example and others set examples and so forth… Meyer himself sets this example, for which he should be praised. Even pulling that one lever behind a closed curtain makes a difference, because it allows you to honestly promote voting for your candidate after you emerge from the booth.
I do think there is a false ring to calls to “vote for whomever you choose, just vote!” That sort of talk encourages the notion that there is no difference among the candidates. I say “vote for whomever you choose, and please choose Ralph Nader!”
Sincerely,
David Swanson