The Right To Vote But I Won T Do It Myself Analysis

On October 19th, 2016, “I Fight for Your Right to Vote. But I Won’t Do It Myself.” by M.L. Cavanaugh was published in the New York Times. M.L. Cavanaugh is a major and strategist in the United States Army, who chooses to not use his right to vote in the presidential election. Cavanaugh believes that military officers should not vote in the presidential election due to the risk of not being able to separate political and personal views from professional duties. Military officers have a duty to not break the crucial division; they chose to take an oath and in doing so, they must put that oath before being a citizen. However, some people would disagree and say that he is denying the election of an “educated voter” (paragraph 6.) Cavanaugh explains that by not exercising the right to vote he is confirming that his personal belief will not become an obstacle in giving our nation the best Military defense. The Military requires unity to operate under any circumstance, but due to …show more content…
People in the military work for the government, so they would be the most educated on who would be best for that position of power. Many agree, including Cavanaugh’s friends and family, that those in the military who do not vote are, “robbing the electorate of an educated voter.” (paragraph 6) At the end of the day, too many people have fought, suffered, and died for the right to vote. The movement that Cavanaugh supports implies that by not voting he is all together avoiding any political partisan, but that’s not the case. Following Cavanaugh’s logic we assume that by not voting he doesn’t have any set beliefs on politics. Whether you vote or not, you still agree with or lean towards one candidate more so than the other. America is a democracy and we have the right to change our minds, voting for one candidate does not embed you to