Every four years we as Americans have the huge responsibility of choosing the next leader of our country. And, we shouldn’t take this responsibility lightly. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have traveled for months, making hundreds and hundreds of stops at rallies that support their beliefs, ideas and direction on where to take us for the next four years. They have spent hundreds of millions of dollars for your vote. And for your families’ vote. And for your friends’ vote. They believe they know where to take us. We have a $16 trillion deficit; both candidates think they can help reduce that. We have foreign wars we are still fighting; both candidates have an exit strategy. We have health care issues, economic issues, political divide issues, social divide issues, and both candidates think they know how to heal our nation.
On this day, we get the right to decide for ourselves who we believe. Not through someone’s Facebook page. Not through the hundreds of political ads we have seen for the last six months. Not through what your friends may have told you. You, and you alone have this huge chance to decide for yourself, who you want to be the next President of the United States. Please don’t take that vote lightly.
If and when you do vote, feel proud that you made a difference. Feel proud that for most of you, you endured a long line so that you can exercise this great right to vote. Feel proud that this chance doesn’t come around often and you stamped your name in history. Feel proud that you stood up and let your voice be heard.
In 2000, nearly six million votes were cast in Florida…President Bush had 537 votes more than Vice President Al Gore. Due to the layout of the Electoral College, Florida was the last state to decide the election. 537. That’s all it took.
Heading into today, most polls have Romney and Obama at a deadlock. Hopefully at the end of today, we will have a clear cut winner. Hopefully today, you will have voted and made a difference. Hopefully, today your voice will have been heard. 537 votes. Sometimes it’s just that close.