During the presidential elections, you may accidentally focus on what President you want to vote for; however, it is also important to understand amendments you will be voting on.
If you are a Chicago resident, you will have to choose whether or not you want the Fair Tax amendment to pass during this upcoming election. To learn more about the Fair Tax, read my previous blog post.
“I honestly haven’t even heard anything about it”, said Carla Martinez, a Chicago resident. When asked whether she would be voting in favor or against the amendment. After I explained to her what it would essentially mean, she replied, “I think I will be voting in favor for it, because people who make more money should have to pay more taxes”.
When most people talk about Fair Tax, they start off by stating the fact that “normal” people will receive pay cuts, while the rich will receive tax increases. Although this may be the case, there is much more that people don’t think about. People hear the first sentence and automatically think Fair Tax is in the best interest of the working class.
This was confirmed to me after asking another resident in my area a similar question. “I’ve heard about the Fair Tax while watching a Youtube video,” said Christopher Salas, “It said that it would increase taxes for the rich, so I was planning on voting in favor of it”. He also let me know that he had not planned on doing further research before going to vote, and used that one advertisement as his reasoning behind voting in favor.
I’m not saying everyone goes to vote without researching what they are voting on, but it appears that some people do. My first year voting, I went in knowing who I was voting for president and then I randomly filled in the rest. Since then, I have tried to inform myself on what I will be voting and how it will affect me and my community.
It is important to take part in our civic duties, but it is even more important to make informed decisions. We can not trust advertisements that tell us to vote yes or no, because they don’t give us the whole picture. We must do our own research and make our decisions based on facts and our beliefs.
Joanna's Journal 