This is it, folks. The night before Election Night. The night before America decides who will lead their country- at least, part of America. More people are expected to vote than ever, which is good. Those of you who aren't, well... it's your call. To tell the truth, I've always found the usual response- "I'm just one person! My vote won't matter!"- to be annoying, and frankly small-minded. Yes, you may think your vote does not count, but so does every potential voter that doesn't show up. Add them all up, and you've got quite a few people who say that their vote doesn't count. Ironic, no?

It's here that most people would include some grand speech about the "Power of One". I'd like to change this to what I'll call the "Power of One More." Submitting your vote will not automatically change the world- to expect something that obvious is unrealistic. Instead, a vote contributes to the overall image of the American people (filtered through the electoral college, of course), and helps to create a more well-rounded outcome. The reason that the results of this election, and just about every election are so close is that the voters are not all for one side or the other- indeed, there are a wide variety of voters, with differences in opinions on every single issue. Certainly there are the uber-hippie Liberals, and the war-hungry Republicans, but those are just the extremes. This is obvious, though; at least, it should seem obvious.

But this wide image is not always represented accurately. This morning, I was reading about neighborhoods with a high concentration of blacks that were being harassed. Apparently, some mysterious group has been leaving notes on the doors, claiming that police will be at the voting registration areas for background checks, all all to try to scare voters into staying home. It disgusts me, really, not just because of the scare tactics, but because the perpetrators don't understand that it hurts them, too; scaring voters away means we have a less balanced view of our nation, which means that the results are less likely to be accurate. After all, the election is a reflection of or nation's opinion. How can we succeed in that if we don't get enough of our nation to vote?

The other thing I want to bring up is that an American's job is not done once they leave that polling center. No matter which man is elected President tomorrow night, it is our duty to keep him in line. If he fails to keep his extravagant promises, it's our job to call him out on it. If he passes a bill we don't like, it's our job to oppose it. If he is found to be a corrupt or incompetent leader, it is our job to straighten the hell outta him, and get him out of office ASAP. It is our privilege, our right, our duty as Americans to bitch about our leaders. We just have to make sure that when we bitch, we do it not only in a reasonable, level-headed manner, but we do it where we know that our leaders are going to hear about it.

The ball is in your court, America. Whatever happens, it's your call.