IF YOU SIT OUT, SOMEONE ELSE DECIDES FOR YOU

Written by Cheryl Crawford

If you’ve ever thought, my one vote won’t make a difference, I want to talk to you. 

I hear this all the time: the system is broken, politicians don’t care, the Electoral College decides anyway. And I get it. The way our democracy works isn’t perfect. It can feel frustrating, confusing, and sometimes downright discouraging. 

But here’s what I also know: when we don’t show up, the people who do vote get to make all the decisions. Rent prices. Wages. Student debt. Health care. Transportation. Schools. Climate. These issues don’t pause because we sit out. They’re decided with or without us.

At MassVOTE, I see what happens when people connect the dots. A teenager from Dorchester told me she had never seen anyone in her family vote. After weeks in our Young Civic Leaders program, she realized: “If we don’t show up, nobody listens to us.” That’s not just true for her — it’s true for all of us. 

Another student from Mattapan registered the day he turned 18, but he didn’t know what to do next. Once he learned, he started organizing friends at his college to register and vote. Now he’s helping shape the future of his community. 

And it’s not only young people. I’ve met parents, retirees, immigrants who’ve become citizens, and longtime residents who all share the same story: once they took that first step, they realized their vote carried more weight than they thought. 

We’ve fought hard for reforms here in Massachusetts — same-day registration, early voting, mail-in ballots — but rights on paper only matter if we use them. 

So here’s my ask: 

● Check your registration. It takes less than two minutes. 

● Make a plan to vote. Don’t wait until the last minute. 

● Encourage someone else. A neighbor, a co-worker, a cousin. 

Democracy doesn’t run on autopilot. It depends on us — all of us. If you’ve been sitting out, this is your chance to step in. 

Because the truth is simple: if you don’t vote, someone else will make the decisions that shape your life. And their voice will count while yours is silent.