Reflecting on this Past Election

Alycia Heckathorn, Communications Committee

With the passing of November 6, 2012, the American people have once again elected Barack Obama as the president of the United States of America. And, unless you have been living under a rock, you already know this. What you may not know, and what I find most important and disheartening, about this election is that it showed exactly how divided America as a whole truly is. Despite the wide margin in the electoral vote, when you look closely at the popular vote, it is clear that there is a line dividing the American almost completely down the middle. I found this to be true even in my own circle of friends. Immediately after the media began calling the election in favor of the president, I saw Facebook and Twitter posts saying, “Take that Mittens” and “Well, the country is ruined.” While I too had hope for a specific election result, this division worries me. With a country so divided, it seems impossible that we can move forward.

Just as worrisome as the division is the apathy I found in others. Many people simply did not seem to care at all about the state of our nation or thought that just because the presidential election was over they no longer had to care about what goes on with the government. One of the things I heard most was that people did not want to vote because their voice did not count anyway, which simply is not true. Even though your vote is only one, your opinion still matters. Besides, the president was not the only important issue on the ballot.

What I would like to say to everyone is do not forget about our country or give up on it because your candidate did or did not win. Pray for our nation. Do what you can to help it be the greatest nation it can. Whether you like him or not, President Obama has been granted another four years, and it is up to us to support him and our country. Write to your congressional representatives. Participate in your local government. Even the election is over; your voice does not stop counting.