Just because the election is over, does not our duty is done.

When watching political ads crowd commercial breaks, remember that their respective supporters would not pay large sums of money to get their ad on screen if mass media advertising did not work. The trouble with considering money an expression of free speech is that elections in the United States can now be predicted by how much money each campaign raised.

In the age of technology, gathering information has never been easier and yet people are still content to passively receive research and opinions; voting based on whose line of rhetoric has been repeated the most. It is disgraceful and detrimental to the democratic republic in which we live to not be active participants in elections. I do not mean just running for office, I mean going to a library, computer, tablet or smart phone and getting your hands dirty with a little research.

Voting with having different options on the ballot is only an illusion of freedom if the voters do not hold the officials and initiatives accountable. Yes, we are all busy with work and school, but how we choose to spend our free time is important. There is no law that says ads have to tell the truth, so it is the job of the voters to research that for themselves. Spend that commercial break by muting the television and start reading the initiatives. Use the primary documents to understand the actual language of the proposals. Not all sources are created equal so make sure to use credible secondary sources to help analyze the effects. Read arguments from both sides of the issue and analyze who is giving money to support each side and what their stake is.

Money is not free speech. Systematic discrimination in wage, equity and who can be a corporate stockholder sets groups of people, such as women and people of color, back when it comes to accumulating wealth. Speech isn’t free when monetary resources are its only expression. Do not sit back and pretend that merely voting is enough to make this country run. If the students in elementary schools, junior highs and high schools can do their homework after school every day, so can voters. An educated electorate is how true freedom of speech is preserved.

Corena Sharp, Kenmore