I know we’re just in the Primary portion of this election year, but I’m really getting pumped up about making sure my voice counts and that my views and rights are protected by our elected government officials. This hopefully, no matter what party or candidate(s) you back, should be the view of everyone eligible to vote this year.
To that end, I wanted to make sure I did my research before I arrived to my local polling site, but once I saw how many candidates there actually were, I turned to the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area. I was happy to find their nonpartisan Voter’s Guide where they had already compiled what the candidates had to say about the issues…loved it! If you don’t want to look for each candidate’s views on the issues individually, search for your area’s local League of Women Voters – it’s so worth it!
So I spent part of my weekend reviewing the guide and getting pumped about heading out to early vote for our May 29th Primary.
- Knowing where the candidates stand on the issues – ✓
- Driver’s license – ✓
Now I was off to do my civic duty. In about 10 minutes I was at my neighborhood library, which I drive past everyday to see it plastered with candidate signs. (I’m sure you have something that looks similar in your neighborhood.)
As I walked toward the front door, I past two dedicated people stumping for their candidates, sitting on folding chairs, under umbrellas, with little water filled coolers – the dedication is quite impressive. Once I got to the front doors however, I was happy to see more signs…
I walked through the library, toward the back, where they had converted an all pupose meeting room and changed it into the place where regular people like us get to have our voices heard.
I was warmly greeted by volunteers who happily took my drivers license and after a few clicks, I was asked to sign by my name and was then escorted to an electronic voting booth by another volunteer. She walked me through the process as she made a few clicks and then told me I was now free to vote, with the quick reminder that I make sure to click the last button to make sure the vote gets counted. Since I had done my homework, after 10 minutes I was done, and I was able to pick up my “I Voted” sticker on my way out.
Mission accomplished! Relatively painless and I hope that regardless of your party affiliation that you take some time out of your day – 2 hrs tops promise (1 hr to research candidate’s views on the topics and 1 hr to get yourself there, vote and head out) to vote every chance you get, from the Primaries to the General Elections later this year. Staying home just because no one looks good, or better than the other, is not a valid option. If you stay home, the message you’re sending is that you don’t care and those that are elected can do what ever they want with our country’s money, resources and potentially all of our futures. Let’s do our part to keep our nation working in the manner we want it to.
Hopefully you too will soon be sporting the “I Voted” sticker and reminding others around you to go vote 🙂
Have you voted yet? Why do you think there are more people willing to vote for the next American Idol than their next representative? What do you think can be done to inspire those around you to vote?
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