Bypassing the Ballot

By: Charde Brown

Nov. 06 2018 10:00 AM CST

DENTON– Amid nonstop election coverage there is little mention of people who have made a conscious decision to forego casting a ballot this election.

A profoundly personal act for some and civic duty to others, people across America have very different relationships with voting.

We overlook People that deliberately choose to abstain from voting and their reasoning.

People have many reasons to skip voting. There is the ever-popular argument that "my vote doesn't count."

Other common reasons people gave for not voting were time constraints, indifference, and not being registered.

Kalisha Norman, a Denton resident, felt strongly about how her time could be better spent on other things.

"…I really feel that my time spent with my daughter is going to actually make a difference more in this world that way she can grow up to be a good person treat other people fairly and that would be worth more than going to vote I don't know that would really make a difference."

With the increase in voter registrations, it seems that voting is an easy, enjoyable task. However, across Texas, there are reports of voter suppression and voter intimidation.

Reports of voter suppression have prompted the Department of Justice to send out agents from the civil rights division to monitor voting compliance across the US. They will visit three Texas counties Harris, Tarrant, and Waller where reports of voter suppression have been highest.

Some people feel that voting is critical, so they volunteered their Saturday trying to make sure people were going out to vote on election day.

We spoke to John Evans, who is new to Denton county.

"The vote does count… it's always important this is what we've been trying to push forward for decades now."

John submitted an absentee ballot for Florida but still felt that it was essential to "block walk" the Saturday before the election to encourage other Dentonites to get out and vote.