Reflection In today’s society, the citizens of the United States of America have accumulated quite a number of civic duties, privileges, and implied responsibilities. In my opinion, voting is one of the most important and beneficial rights we are given as Americans. The right to vote is a democratic right that is protected for anyone who is interested and of age, so I feel as though it is our responsibility to take advantage of this opportunity. When we vote, we choose the representatives who will create laws and regulations that will determine how we live together. Voting is a powerful way to express the expectations and needs of the nation as a whole. Therefore, the more votes, the more powerful the message is. Our government was designed for citizen participation, so if everyone doesn't uphold their privilege, other people will make decisions for us. I feel as though if there is an opportunity to choose who will be in charge of our country, we should participate and choose who we feel as though will fulfill this duty to the best of his or her ability, with the country and it’s citizens’ best interest in mind. With that being said, not only is it important to vote, but it is also crucial to be an informed voter. If you are going to vote, then I believe you should choose the politician who best represents your needs and concerns, which can only be achieved through a thorough understanding of each of the politician’s views. Voting would be counterproductive if everyone just decided to choose whomever they felt like. It is our money, and the politicians who we vote for essentially decide how our money is spent, so it is important that we know who we are voting for and their stance on various issues to ensure our money is being spent wisely. Crime prevention, gun control, education, foreign policy, and numerous other issues are all issues that affect us in some way, so it important to choose someone who you know will handle the issues the way you would expect them to. We hold the power to determine the future of our nation. Candidates and the Issues Gun control is a very prominent issue in the society we live in today, which requires special attention from a candidate when competing in an election. On the issue of gun control, Republican Nathan Deal, a candidate running in the Governor’s race for Georgia, opposes restrictions on the right to bear arms, voted yes on prohibiting suing gunmakers and sellers for gun misuse, and voted no on decreasing the gun waiting period from three to one days.1 The next candidate and view on gun control is Amanda Swafford, a libertarian running in the U.S. Senate race. Amanda Swafford feels quite strongly about gun control, and states on her campaigning website, “Sacrificing liberty for safety and security has never worked in our history and certainly violates the principles for which America was founded. Our right to defend ourselves from ran