Voting Day

I voted today. I believe it's every citizen's obligation to help run the country, state, county, city...by being active at the polls...voting that is...and...there is absolutely no reason not to be active with a political party and/or specific "cause"...(is that a double negative???)
When I signed in today I was told, "You have to declare today." I replied, "No, I don't."
I have been and independent voter for most of my life. There are probably some very good reasons for having a party affiliation but I haven't been able to find one that convinces me that I should "declare". Clearly, in my mind, the statement regarding party declaration should have been worded differently. The insinuation was that you could only vote if you made a party declaration. Whatever...
The state of our political system is a point of consternation for me. I believe there are always two sides to most issues. Debate and discussion are great ways to solidify one's opinion. When one party (currently both major political parties) insists on total disagreement with everything said and done by the other party, something is basicly wrong. I believe elected officials should be working together for the betterment of our country, our society and the world. That doesn't seem to be happening. Therefore, we all need to vote. We need to make our opinions known at the polls.
In order to be effective citizens we need to be informed about the issues. I find this to be difficult. The media seems to be about as interested in everyday political issues as our citizenry...not very. I have to admit, I'm not as well informed as I need to be. I will declare right now to try to be better informed before the next election. Have a great day.
GCD