While a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris may not go very far in Indiana this year, a vote holds more value than its contribution to the electoral college.
In blue or red dominated states, it is common to wonder if voting makes a difference. In order to win the presidential election, a candidate must win 270 out of 538 electoral votes. Each state has one electoral vote for each Member in the House of Representatives and Senator that contributes to the 270 total needed. These electoral votes are represented by electors, who are first chosen by the state’s political parties and then its voters, according to the National Archives. Due to this process, the power of one individual’s vote may get lost, especially in states that have traditionally been Democrat or Republican. While there may be some districts in Indiana that vote blue, because Indiana is an all-in state, meaning all of our electoral votes go to one candidate and that blue district is effectively meaningless if the rest of the state is safely red.
Indiana is considered the “reddest” state in the Midwest, according to 270 to Win, and the Republican Party has had three consecutive double-digit victories over the Democratic Party. While the state did go blue in 2008, it was only by 1.1%. This leads many Democrats in Indiana wondering if it really matters whether or not they vote. Voting, first and foremost, is a privilege. Some people may choose to forgo that privilege, but having the right to vote should be enough reason to do so anyway. Anyone who believes in either candidate enough to consider voting for them should do so, even if it is only an act of expressing their opinion, regardless of whether they think it will affect electoral college numbers. Although it is very likely Harris will lose in Indiana and Trump will lose in typical blue states, it is important for the president to know where and how strong their voter base is. Even if support for Harris may be weak in Indiana, it is valuable to her campaign to know how people throughout Indiana, and other red states, voted. Additionally, many safely red or blue states may get less attention than swing states from each campaign. For example,
A single vote may not hold very much power in a firmly blue or red state, but there are several other elections on the ballot this year. In Indiana, we are voting for governor, senators, representatives and many local positions by county. Although Indiana has had a Republican governor since 2005, votes are determined by county rather than state, meaning that individuals’ votes hold much more power when it comes to local elections. When people choose to abstain from voting because they do not believe their vote matters, they are often forgetting to consider the elections that are much closer to home.
According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 62.8% of people of voting age voted in the 2020 election, which was a dramatic increase from previous elections. This year, a survey found that 72% of registered voters said they were very motivated to vote in the 2024 presidential election. Hopefully that survey holds true and there is a large turnout at the polls on Nov. 5. The 2024 election is important to all Americans, so it is more important than ever for everyone to educate themselves and get to a voting center.
Whether Americans feel compelled to vote because it is their privilege or they feel strongly about one of the candidates, it is important for everyone to use the opportunity to make their voice heard. Even if it amounts to little in the outcome of the presidential election, an individual’s vote matters to everyone else who participates in our democracy.
