"If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true." So says Pedro Sanchez in the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, during his pitch to be school president. Although it's unlikely that a vote for anyone will make your wildest dreams come true, it's worth noting that without petrochemicals, you probably wouldn't be able to vote at all.
Take yard signs, for starters. A common sight in front yards across the country during election season, the signs stay intact outdoors even in the harshest weather conditions thanks to the polyethylene, the durable material that resists all kinds of cracking, peeling and chipping. Even on the hottest days and the coldest nights, you can proudly display your political affiliations for everyone to see, making your own contribution to the political process as you do so. Next up are the voting booths themselves. Today's booths contain some very sophisticated electronic equipment and petrochemicals are necessary for almost all of it - from printed computer circuit boards and control panels, to printers and memory cartridges. Even the privacy screens, more often than not, are made out corrugated plastic, which again is made out of petrochemicals. Finally, the political TV commercials themselves would be unable to reach you without the petrochemicals in your TV and computer screens. These screens simply would not exist without the Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), polycarbonate and polyurethanes that go into making the screen housings, the screens and the TV remotes. There would be no way to watch the debates or election results without them, either. Election Day provides yet another example of the key role that petrochemicals play in our daily lives. On this very important Election Day, make sure your voice is heard – get out and vote!