Email | Print

The word election comes from the Latin word to choose. Choices are a form of empowerment and freedom. Voting offers us power, it offers us hope that things will be better. Most of us have the right to vote, yet many do not.

When our country was first founded, only white men with property could vote. Women in America fought for the right to vote through women's suffrage in the 1920s. Prior to that, half the population was denied the right to vote.

In some countries, women still can't vote. With the civil rights movement, Afro-Americans were given the right to vote. Eighteen-year olds were given the right to vote during the Vietnam War. Those before us fought long and hard for the right to vote. They knew that voting gave them power.

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela struggled 76 years for the right to vote. Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities. Some people think they can't vote and others feel that it won't make a difference or that it is too complicated.

About 150 million Americans are qualified to vote. Many do not. We give up a chance to choose leaders and representatives who have power over our lives. We as consumers can have our voices heard in this year's general election on Nov. 2, 2004. We, as a special interest group, can make waves and have our voices heard.

We can take responsibility for the things we care about. People vote when their quality of life is at stake. The time to vote is now. Are you frustrated by the state of healthcare in our state, in our country?

We need to turn back those political forces that do not represent our best interest. No one needs to pass a literacy test to vote in the U.S. Today, the only Americans not eligible to vote in NYS are incarcerated people. Once a person is finished with their sentence or parole, they can register to vote. Many voters are disillusioned and cynical. Their fears are justified because the lobbyists that represent big business pay for their candidates' campaigns.

Each year 44 million Americans will experience a diagnosable mental health problem. An educated mental health constituency could change policy decisions in areas such as mental health funding, housing, employment rights and much more.

Today in NYS, it is easier than ever to use a voting machine. A copy of how to use a voting machine will be found inside the door of every voting machine. Also, copies will be shown to all voters waiting on line to vote.

If you can't get to the polls, you can vote by absentee ballot. You can request the form when you register to vote. Also, it is self-empowering to learn about the issues and become more involved politically.

Vote! It begins with you. The Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project was started by a consumer—the late Ken Steele who also founded NYC Voices. I consider him to be the Martin Luther King of the mental health consumer movement. He became a spokesman for a hidden minority.

We are breaking the silence and coming out of the closet. Now more than ever before, mental health consumers are forming a voting block. We as a group are proving that we have a voice. We are forming a constituency that politicians can no longer take for granted. By keeping informed of the issues and participating in the political process we have a greater chance of improving the mental health system. Voting can empower us as a group. Now, we are no longer powerless. To vote is to have power.