One of the coolest things about not being aligned with a political party (known as an independent), is that I have no problems voting for candidates of any party. My only criteria: who I feel will be the best person for the job they are running for. Needless to say, I get a bunch of crap from my republican friends, and also my democratic friends.
A big question I have for my fellow citizens: why do off year elections have a such a low turnout? In national elections, in elections where a president is being elected, voter turnout ranges from 50 – 65% of the electorate (population eligible to vote). During mid-term elections (off year elections), voter turnout goes down to 35 – 50%. Why? I especially find it interesting as it is the local elections in which a citizen’s vote matters most. This same question was asked on Quora, a website dedicated to asking questions. There were several answers, but a couple stood out: One made the case that when there is a consistent correlation of groups of people not voting, elected officials are less likely to care about their needs. Another made the claim that lower voter turn out allows smaller voting blocs to dominate those of a more moderate view(s), and with this, the lower the ratio of eligible voters to actual voters, the harder it is to know that the result is an actual representation of the people.
As a citizen, it is our fundamental responsibility to vote, I encourage each of you to download a copy of the Citizen’s Almanac (a great read if you haven’t read it). I have a great respect for naturalized citizens, of which the bosslady is one. An excerpt from the almanac reads…
U.S. citizens have important rights and responsibilities. These include the right to vote in federal elections and the ability to serve on a jury. Citizenship is a privilege that
offers the extraordinary opportunity to be a part of the governing process…
By voting in federal, state, and local elections, citizens choose their government leaders. The right to vote is one of the most important liberties granted to American citizens. It is the foundation of a free society.
On November 7th, the citizens of Virginia chose who we feel would do the best job of running our state. That is not to say the candidates that weren’t chosen are not good people, it only means the greater portion of the population wanted their competitor. For my politically partisan elected officials – I caution that you might want to start working together, across the aisle with your peers, or you might just find yourself out of a job too. I think the country is getting tired of divisiveness, we are in this together; why not work together. As one politician from a different age once said, it’s not a good bill unless no one (politicians) is happy.
One of the things I find distasteful in our current political environment is why people feel the need to make everything about Republican vs. Democrats and Democrats vs. Republicans. In my opinion, we (as a nation) have bigger fish to fry than worrying about the letter after somebodies name. A person’s character is far more important than the letter after their name.
What say you? Agree? Disagree? Why?
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