YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE: MAKE IT HEARD!

By: Mildred Robertson

Well, it’s decision time folks. The end to early voting for the 2022 Midterms is fast approaching and the November 8^th election looms large. There are weighty decisions that Americans must make this November, and every one of us will be making one whether we choose to make our way to the voting booth, or we tap out and say that our vote won’t make a difference.

For those who choose the latter, nothing could be further from the truth. You see, all that happens when you don’t participate in the democratic process is that you strengthen the position of the person least likely to represent your interests.  

So not voting is actually a vote of sorts.

You see, someone will be making a decision about whether women have autonomy over their bodies. Someone will decide whether working Americans should have a living wage. Your elected representative will help determine whether a 15-year-old can have access to an automatic rifle, or whether it is all right to attack elected representatives if you don’t like how they legislate.  Someone will decide how police officers will treat citizens under arrest, or in distress.

Whichever party wins in November will decide whether you or your parents receive social security and how much. Elected congressmen and women will determine whether we pursue clean energy, or whether we aid Ukraine in its battle against tyranny. Local elected officials will determine what children are allowed to learn in our school system, and they will decide how much to invest to ensure all children get a sound basic education. They will even determine where parks and housing developments are built, how roads and infrastructure will be maintained, and whether there will be affordable housing in your city.

Don’t you want to have some say in who is making these vital decisions that directly impact your life?

There is no perfect candidate. Every one of them has some kind of flaw because each of them is human.  You are not going to agree with every stance a politician may take. You may even feel that all the possible candidates are inadequate. But one of those candidates on the slate will have sway over your life for the next several years, and the decisions they make may possibly influence the next several decades. Do you want to leave the decision about who holds the power to others? Or do you want to have a voice in who runs your community? Because someone will.

Make your voice heard. VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER MIDTERM ELECTION!

(You can register and vote during One-Stop Early voting, which ends November 5 at 3 p.m. in Wake County North Carolina. Election Day is November 8^th.  Go to your local Board of Elections website to determine dates, times, and locations for early and election-day voting in the state and county where you live.)