By Treva Harper
Many people vote. Many more people do not vote. Why do we vote anyway? Well, voting is how we choose who represents us in government. We choose who runs things, votes on bills, decides how our money is spent and a myriad of other issues. So voting for the right people is very important. When a “power-hungry” or a person motivated only by money get in office they tend to promise great things then ignore what the people want. How can you fix that? Well, you have to vote them out of office.
Many feel that their votes are not counted, and in the national elections, it can be difficult to see how our single vote matters. In local elections, however, a single vote can make or break a campaign, especially in a hotly contested election. One additional thing to consider about your vote is that, how the city votes as a whole, is one way the elected officials determine what the city wants. Say, for example, one person runs for a particular policy and one against the policy, it can be said that the one who wins has the will of the people behind them. If only a few people voted, then those who did not vote did not have their voice heard. So while a majority of a community may support a policy, if the majority of the votes were against it the elected officials may have no way to know that the majority of the community feels that way. They operate under the assumption that the majority has spoken and will proceed with their agenda.
So you can see how an elected official may believe they are doing the will of the people while the majority of the community is angry about it. The way to make sure the city leaders are doing your will and the will of the majority of the city is for a majority of the populace to vote in their local election.
While you may or may not follow national elections, it is imperative for you to follow the local ones. After all, how tragic would it be if your single vote was the reason the people you did not want to win, won the election anyway.
Your posts on Social Media, your complaints to your neighbors nor your letters to the editor will change an election. Only your vote can do that! So, please get registered to vote and make sure to vote so the city can know what the people actually care about and want.
