Column: Don’t let party loyalty dictate how you vote

I remember when I first registered to vote. I signed in and they gave me a form where I had to pick which party I affiliated with. Now, this was a big step for me, as my family was divided between Republicans and Democrats.

So when I chose, I felt like one side would assume I was siding with the others. In the end, I selected which one I felt I aligned with more.

However, through the few years I’ve been voting, it dawned on me that just because I chose one side when I was 18 years old, doesn’t mean that every single ballot will reflect that.

I have issues that I agree with that would have me labeled as a liberal Democrat, and these are issues that I would vote for again and again.  But, then again, issues do arise that I side with on the more conservative level.

I find myself more aligned with the Democrats’ view on social issues, however I feel more inclined to go with a Republican point of view for economic changes.

What ultimately matters in the end is that your votes reflect what you believe in.

Just because you have decided to vote as a Democrat, Republican or Independent does not mean every time you enter a voting booth you need to vote that way. It’s ridiculous to think that you’ll agree with every single thing a Republican or Democrat stands for.

Just like it’s ridiculous to think you won’t have a change in viewpoints at some crossroad in your life.

When looking at the elections this year, take a look at the issues and policies being presented, not the title that comes before each politician. Don’t be afraid to vote Democrat if you’re a registered Republican and vice versa.

The great thing about the bi-partisan system—despite many faults—is that it gives you options, even if you are registered as something else.

If everybody who registered as a Democrat or Republican only voted that way, it would only come down to looking at the number of registered voters in the area to decide which way it would fall.

But that’s not how it works.

It helps our system by voting outside of your registration, and works to further the political development.

It’s not enough to just go out and believe that because you’re one thing that means you won’t ever get a chance to vote another way.

Vote how you want to vote, regardless of the registration.

Bob Galuski is a senior journalism and English major. He can be reached at 581-7912 or [email protected].