GET YOUR VOTE ON!

Early voting starts this week in many states.

Yes, the midterm elections for Congress are still three weeks (or so) away. And you may be sick and tired of seeing the political ads on television already. But we all have a part to play in our democracy, a part that is increasingly important the more it is threatened by those who would replace it with autocracy, a single-party system, gerrymandering and restrictions on voting. We need to VOTE, and the best time to do that is NOW, during the early voting period, when crowds are thinner at the polls and you are free to choose your timing.

 

Early voting started yesterday, October 20, in North Carolina, and as soon as I posted this little message, I headed to my county's early voting site and cast my vote for local officials, Senate, House and State legislature. The national races are vital, but don't forget, that as the venerable Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts, once said, "All politics is local." Your local officials have a direct effect on your daily lives--what industries are allowed to conduct business in your town; how loud your neighbors are allowed to be; how problems like homelessness and littering are addressed. Elected school board members determine whether your school system holds the line against those who would ban books
or cave to narrow minority interests. Local elections are important.

 

So, get out there and do your duty as a citizen of these United States! Don't let a tiny minority of motivated voters make your decisions for you.

 

For democracy,

Donna