The ability to vote as a citizen of our republic is too often taken for granted. All citizens over the age of 18 should exercise their right to vote in the Nov. 6 fall general election.
Many people have already voted, taking advantage of absentee or early voting opportunities. Registering to vote is an easy, short process and should not prevent anyone from going to the polls.
The direction of our local, state and federal government is decided at the ballot box. The United States is a polarized nation with basically a two-party political system. There are “third parties” such as the Green Party, Constitutional Party, Libertarian Party, etc. However, virtually all federal and state campaigns come down to members of the Democratic Party vs. members of the Republican Party.
Because our nation, state and even local politics are divided so strongly between the Democrats and Republicans, it’s difficult to sway voters. The electorate is as educated as it wants to be. Our polarized nation didn’t just spring up overnight. It’s become deeply ingrained since the 1970s, with irresponsible and biased messages contributing to misinformation and confusion.
Voters should pay attention to election information in which the candidates themselves talk about their positive attributes and discuss what they will do if elected. Negative political messages are full of half-truths and downright falsehoods. Attack ads and negative campaigning is prevalent because studies have shown that these messages do influence voters. People truly interested in supporting candidates that will represent their interests look at what a candidate will do to help them — and that’s the way it should be.
One repeated theme we see from election-to-election is that conservative voters have less difficulty getting the vote out. There are Democratic-leaning voters who take their right to vote just as seriously as their conservative counterparts do. However, there are blocks of socially liberal voters who don’t participate in elections. This leaves one portion of the polarized nation losing ground.
A few elections ago, Green Bay Press-Gazette cartoonist Joe Heller had a pre-election cartoon that showed a frame with a stalwart conservative voter saying “I will crawl across crushed glass to vote!” and a second frame of the cartoon showed a socially liberal voter saying, “We have to vote again?”
Analyzing which members of the voting spectrum who vote isn’t quite as simple as saying all conservatives vote and social liberals struggle to get to the voting booth. There are, however, clear examples of this. Polls prior to the 2016 presidential election showed Hillary Clinton with a somewhat comfortable lead over Donald Trump. Polls don’t tell the whole story and when it comes times to tally the returns. The only thing that counts are votes.
No matter what party you support, or if you vote for candidates as individuals rather than party affiliation, the main thing is that those of voting age exercise their right to vote. Other than becoming directly involved in politics, voting is the single most powerful thing citizens can do to make an impact on the direction of our local, state and federal government.
Elections are important and the ability to vote is a powerful freedom for which untold sacrifices have been made. Participate in the process on Nov. 6 and exercise your right to vote.
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times.
