There may have been an election or two for which I was eligible to vote and did not, but I don’t remember it.

I once searched out a notary public in Kotzebue, Alaska, to notarize my vote. I have voted absentee from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia., and Washington, D.C.

I have voted in various towns in the United States: Jackson and Adamsville in Tennessee, Oak Park in Illinois, and other towns in California and Georgia, whose names I barely remember.

As a U.S. Foreign Service officer, I have helped overseas Americans cast absentee ballots for their home states when they were abroad in foreign countries.

My connection with voting began early. I played around polling booths growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, where my parents helped as poll volunteers.

Also, of course, I have lived in countries where citizens couldn’t vote, where elections were not held at all.

These experiences cause me to wonder why so many Americans don’t bother with voting.

I’m particularly saddened by the efforts of a few misguided individuals to discourage some Americans from being able to easily vote.

Perhaps, they need to experience what it’s like to live in countries where only privileged individuals have a voice.