WHY VOTE? America Celebrating 250 Years

GUEST COMMENTARY

By Darlene Hennessy, Pure Integrity Michigan Elections, UVote Chair

July 6, 2026

On July 4, 2026, the United States turned 250 years old. For two and a half centuries, America has stood as one of history’s greatest experiments in self-government. It wasn’t simply declaring independence — it was creating a nation where ordinary citizens govern themselves. That is a rare and valuable freedom.

One of the great privileges of living in America is the opportunity to choose our presidents, governors, representatives and local leaders through regular elections. Citizens do more than fill out a ballot, they help shape the future of their communities, their states, their nation, and the world.

Every election reminds us that the ultimate authority in our republic rests not in government but in the people themselves.

What led to America’s independence? The road to independence developed over time with the colonies pulling away from Britain. Taxation was one of the earliest signs that the colonies remained subject to British authority. Britain wanted the colonies to help pay debts from recent wars. Britain imposed taxes on the colonies while denying them representation in Parliament. The colonists believed if government could tax them without allowing them a voice, then government no longer served the people. The phrase — "taxation without representation" — became a rallying cry, a declaration that free people should govern themselves.

Americans have fought, sacrificed, and worked to ensure American citizens maintain the right to have a say in how we are governed. When 56 men met in Independence Hall in 1776 and signed the Declaration of Independence, they understood the cost. They said Great Britain tried to establish tyranny over these states.  If they failed in this great experiment, they would be viewed as traitors, not as the patriots they turned out to be.

Expanding the Promise of Freedom

Although the Declaration proclaimed “all men are created equal,” the right to vote in 1776  belonged almost exclusively to white, property-owning men.  Expanding that promise has been the work of generations.

The 15^th Amendment (1870) said race couldn’t bar a citizen from the ballot — though it took another century for that right to be made real for Black Americans when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. The 19^th Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote. Native Americans were granted the right to vote in 1924.

We, as a country, are always evolving. A country founded on the consent of the governed needs ways to keep earning that consent. Elections are that mechanism. Every time American citizens vote in a presidential or a school board election, they are not just picking a winner; they are reaffirming the founding promise, saying that the people — not any inherited authority — are the source of legitimate power.

American voter participation has fluctuated throughout our nation’s history. Sometimes surging and, sadly, often sagging. Shaped by a variety of factors, voter participation depends upon engaged citizens. The 250^thbirthday isn’t a moment to say job well done, it is to notice the work of a self-governing nation is ongoing and quite literally, still up to a vote.

Our 250 years have been made of a chain of ordinary moments — ordinary people standing in line, filling out a ballot, trusting their voice would be counted alongside others who they’ve never met. It holds because each generation adds its own link.

This monumental election year in Michigan, voters will choose:

Governor

Secretary of State

Attorney General

State legislators

Members of Congress

One U.S. Senator

Judges

University governing boards

Local officials

These decisions will shape our state for years to come. Here is the link to find What's on my ballot?

Before Election Day, take time to learn about the candidates and the issues. Make a plan to vote, encourage your family and friends to do the same. Remember: Our republic depends on citizens who are willing to participate.

Self-government is not something we inherit once and keep forever; it is renewed every Election Day.

For 250 years Americans have preserved the remarkable privilege of governing themselves. Now it is our turn.

Your vote defines Michigan’s tomorrow.