Does my vote count?

–Guest blog by Romeo Arrieta

Every election cycle, people make announcements at meetings saying “remember to vote”, “your vote is your voice,” and so on. I’ve made the same announcement myself for at least a decade. I post it on Facebook and tweet reminders every year. If Dallas had mountains, I’d shout it from their summits if I thought it would help. And yet, two out of every five registered voters in Dallas County simply didn’t vote in this election.

I shouldn’t be surprised. After every election I can find someone who didn’t vote. I can always find someone who simply didn’t value their own opinion enough to cast a ballot. And that voter will almost always ask me, “Does my vote really count?” And I always tell them the same thing.

There is always a race that comes down to a handful of votes.

And I mean that literally. Take the example of MetroTex friend and Texas Association of Realtors member Rodney Anderson. He represents Irving and Grand Prairie in Austin as a state representative for House District 105. Over 47,000 people voted in his race. On election night, Rodney Anderson’s unofficial lead came down to 120 votes. After all of the mail ballots came in, and after a recount, he won by 64 votes. That’s it. Those 64 votes will have a direct impact in the lives of all Texans. Those voters will help determine the future of things like school funding, property tax reform, and infrastructure.

Voting matters. Your vote matters.

This year, if you ask me “Does my vote really count?” I will tell you to ask State Representative Rodney Anderson.