--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Voting is the only way to make change in…" description: "\"Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy.\" — Christine Todd Whitman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png" --- # Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy. ![“Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy.” quote by Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png) > “Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy.” [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Voting is presented as the sole effective mechanism for democratic change. **In simple terms:** Voting changes democracy. Key Takeaway Vote to influence change. Themes civic duty democracy participation Mood hopeful serious Type political educational When to use this quote - elections - policy advocacy - community organizing - grassroots movements Key Concepts Political theory civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - Why is voting essential? - What barriers prevent voting? A Different Perspective Voter apathy can limit impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-democracy-274000/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Make Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-change/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) [Voting Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting-way-3703362/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Whether we make it a condition or just through persuasion or just through popular support, whatever it takes, we really do need to shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/whether-we-make-it-a-condition-or-just-through-persuasion-or-just/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [I am not naive enough to believe that voting is the only way to bring about transformational change, just as I know that protest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/i-am-not-naive-enough-to-believe-that-voting-is-the-only-way-to-bring/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [“You want Change, today we'll show you Change! Here's your democracy, your human rights, eat it, eat eat eat!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/you-want-change-today-we-ll-show-you-change-here-s-your-democracy/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [When we generate utopian visions and hope to make them happen soon – when we elect Barack Obama and expect all our problems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/when-we-generate-utopian-visions-and-hope-to-make-them-happen-soon/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [There are ways to pursue political change. In a democracy, it's through the ballot box. There are other ways, and many democracies have many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/there-are-ways-to-pursue-political-change-in-a-democracy-it-s-through/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [Without enough wilderness America will change. Democracy, with its myriad personalities and increasing sophistication, must be fibred and vitalized by regular contact with outdoor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/without-enough-wilderness-america-will-change-democracy-with-its/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [I don't think with today's technology we can have a voting system that is fully electronic that can be trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-rubin/i-don-t-think-with-today-s-technology-we-can-have-a-voting-system/) [Avi Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-rubin/) > [In a democracy, voting is a huge and most important right of a common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/in-a-democracy-voting-is-a-huge-and-most-important-right-of-a-common/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [ \[James\] Madison pointed out in the discussion of the constitutional debates - the constitutional convention - that democracy would be a danger. He used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/james-madison-pointed-out-in-the-discussion-of-the-constitutional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm a registered Independent. But my brother says it's obvious that I'm a Republican sympathizer. Once I get in the voting booth, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baldwin/i-m-a-registered-independent-but-my-brother-says-it-s-obvious-that-i/) [Stephen Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baldwin/) > [Ranked Choice Voting is simple, empowers voters, and rewards candidates who broaden support beyond their base.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/ranked-choice-voting-is-simple-empowers-voters-and-rewards-candidates/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/the-voting-booth-joint-is-a-great-leveler-the-whole-neighborhood-rich/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Christine Todd Whitman > [For years, I have been a strong supporter of clean, safe nuclear energy as an important part of our energy mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-years-i-have-been-a-strong-supporter-of-clean-safe-nuclear-energy/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [I am struck by how many leading women... today started as Girl Scouts. It is an organization that obviously develops strong women leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/i-am-struck-by-how-many-leading-women-today-started-as-girl-scouts-it/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Neglecting clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and especially nuclear, can result in blackouts, increased power bills, and will take a heavy toll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/neglecting-clean-energy-sources-such-as-solar-wind-and-especially/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/anyone-who-thinks-that-they-are-too-small-to-make-a-difference-has/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The irony here is this administration is spending more money on climate change research and development than any administration in all the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-irony-here-is-this-administration-is-spending-more-money-on/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The climate has always changed - after all, we've had numerous ice ages without human influence - but human activity has undoubtedly exacerbated Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-climate-has-always-changed-after-all-we-ve-had-numerous-ice-ages/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Americans are finally realizing that once you lose land, you can't get it back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/americans-are-finally-realizing-that-once-you-lose-land-you-can-t-get/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Regulations have certainly gone too far in a number of areas, but it's important to remember that regulations are meant to be protective, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/regulations-have-certainly-gone-too-far-in-a-number-of-areas-but-it-s/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Trump is not the victim of the judicial system; he is or has been the defendant in 3,500 lawsuits - that's not the mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/trump-is-not-the-victim-of-the-judicial-system-he-is-or-has-been-the/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Republicans believe that problems are best solved at the level closest to the people and that the nation's strength comes from the diversity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/republicans-believe-that-problems-are-best-solved-at-the-level/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [For too many years, those eligible to vote in primary or general elections did not bother to do so. Those sensible centrists who do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-too-many-years-those-eligible-to-vote-in-primary-or-general/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The conventional wisdom in an election year is that nothing will get done until after the election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-conventional-wisdom-in-an-election-year-is-that-nothing-will-get/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [I don't believe the government should determine what a woman does in this area any more than it should tell a chief executive how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/i-don-t-believe-the-government-should-determine-what-a-woman-does-in/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [We need elected officials who care more about policy than politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/we-need-elected-officials-who-care-more-about-policy-than-politics/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Beyond combating global warming and supporting domestic business interests, remaining a part of the Paris Agreement has clear benefits to the U.S. at large.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/beyond-combating-global-warming-and-supporting-domestic-business/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) [Explore all 36 Christine Todd Whitman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christine Todd Whitman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in-a-democracy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in-a-democracy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/christine-todd-whitman-17954_change_voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in_3189066.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Voting is the only way to make change in a democracy.” — Christine Todd Whitman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christine Todd Whitman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Voting is the only way to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in-a-democracy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/voting-is-the-only-way-to-make-change-in-a-democracy/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```