No matter who is elected today or whatever measures and propositions are passed or defeated, this is a good day. That’s because an historically high number of people will have actually voted. Early voting and mail-in ballots prove that.
That’s democracy at its finest. And that is good. Very good.
You should be in decision-making mode right now, as vote-by-mail ballots arrive and voting day approaches very soon. Here’s something to consider.
Lots of us are upset with laws that are being passed or how our elected officials are representing us. Many people are angry at new laws on the ballot that that will hurt specific economic, ethnic, or age groups, or that further endanger people who are already at-risk, or that fund projects that are clearly designed to benefit a small group at the expense of and little benefit to the rest of us.
Oddly enough, many who complain don’t exercise a basic American right that empowers the average person. They forget that one tiny individual voice added to all the other tiny voices equals a shout heard in the halls of all the legislatures.
Remember: you don’t have to vote on every issue and office. Vote on the ones you feel you understand and will have a positive impact on your state and country. BE that one vote added to another added to another that, together, DO make a difference.
This election, earn your right to complain: vote.
Some elderly people don’t trust vote-by-mail but can’t drive themselves to the polls. In some families, the breadwinner has the only car, and they’re at work. In some places, there are few polling places, often not near where people live. Whatever the reason, in 2016, 15+ million people registered but didn’t vote because of transportation problems.
Lyft plans to enable more people to exercise their American right to vote. They’ll offer half-price rides to the polls–even free rides in some instances. They’ll encourage voting, too, by having drivers remind passengers of registration deadlines and hand out registration information and materials. Plus, they’ll offer voter registration for their employees at the Lyft offices.
I applaud what Lyft is doing. Voting is not only our right, it’s our responsibility. And, as close elections prove, every single ballot elderly,cast (or not cast) really does matter.
Get details at https://blog.lyft.com/posts/2018/8/22/get-out-the-vote
Today is the 53rd anniversary of the day President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was a big step forward for all ethnic groups, not just the one it was intended to enfranchise, because it promoted the American ideal of equality. Read about it in this article from www.history.com and do all you can to preserve the rights and ideals of our country.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Voting Rights Act is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.
Go ahead and let other people tell you what to do and run your life. No? Don’t want to? A whole bunch of people are doing just that. Look at these figures:
If you fall into one of those two groups, you are letting others make big decisions for you–like taxes, healthcare, housing, citizenship, transportation costs, and who represents (or fails to represent) you.
Every vote does matter, because each one adds to another which adds to another…. Coming up shortly, SOMEONE will decide many major issues. There are 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats to be decided, plus governors, school boards, city councils, district attorneys, and judges in YOUR state and city.
I ask Are you registered and will you vote? If not, you can’t complain when people are elected and laws enacted that make your life miserable.
Think about it.
After living through this past week, I’ve decided how to vote. Maybe not the specific person yet. But I know for sure that the person I decide to vote for will NOT be one who is acting like a spoiled 6-year-old.
I fear a President who deals with foreign heads of state–especially, say, North Korea or Russia–or represents the U.S. in settling the Israeli/Palestinian conflict–or decides how to handle Isis and other terrorist groups. I fear a person who says to Congress-members, “It’s my way or the highway” rather than promoting thoughtful discussion of all sides of an issue and working toward a more unified, effective Congress. I fear a President who engages in personal attacks rather than meaningful dialog, thus treating us citizens as though we don’t have a brain or know what’s good for us. Yes, I fear a spoiled brat, egotistic, self-important 6-year-old President.
Now, although you don’t know who I’ll vote for in this coming Primary and General elections, I bet you can guess who WILL NOT get my vote. And I urge you to vote with me.
Make sure your voice is heard. If you haven’t yet registered to vote, know that the deadline is coming VERY SOON.
Registration deadlines and requirements vary from state to state. Go to http://www.vote411.org/search-by-topic?topics_tid%5B%5D=62&field_state_tid%5B%5D=8#.VgwP3vlViko and write in your address or state and find out what applies to where you live.
Register + vote = exercising your rights = making a difference in how you are governed.
Today is a day when all Americans are urged to take control of their and their country’s destiny. It’s National Voter registration Day. If you haven’t registered, do it today. It’s so easy, you can do it online…right now. Search “register to vote online [your state]” and take two minutes to fill out the form.
Some people want to wait to see who the Presidential candidates are. Wrong approach if you really want to have a say in who is our next President. We have more power when we decide who the candidates will be, which means voting in the Primaries. Why have to choose between two people we don’t really want when the best person for the job was beaten in the Primaries–and we didn’t cast our vote then?
Do it. Take power today.
I marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., almost 50 years ago. Not literally. I watched the events unfold on our family’s black and white TV. They didn’t cover it nearly as much as stations would today, but I saw enough to inspire me, to horrify me, and to make me ashamed that my country didn’t allow all of its citizens to vote.
I watched history being born. I watched a war for citizens’ rights being waged. I watched victories and disappointments, physical wounds and healing emotional wounds, and people waking up to the stark realization that a large group of Americans didn’t really believe that “all men are created equal.”
It was an exciting, emotional day.
As the scenes in Selma replay in my mind, I’m thankful for how far we’ve come in these last 50 years…and distressed over how much farther we have to go.