EDITORIAL: Let your voice be heard
Primary day is just a few days away.
If you are a registered Democrat or Republican, and you already cast your vote by mail, good for you.
Independents, you’ll have to sit this one out, since Pennsylvania’s primary is closed, meaning only registered party voters are permitted to cast ballots.
If you plan to vote by mail but haven’t returned your ballot, do it now. This late in the game, the safe bet is to hand-deliver the signed and sealed ballot to your local elections office to ensure receipt by 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the polls close. Miss the deadline and your vote won’t be counted, without exception.
For those who prefer to vote in person, the polls open at 7 a.m. Make time in your day to fulfill your duty as an American citizen.
The races aren’t important, you might say.
We would counter that all of them are important. Critically so.
Midterm elections – those that fall at the halfway point of the president’s four-year term – give voters a chance to decide who controls Congress, yet turnout for this vital round of balloting is historically lower than in presidential election years.
According to the nonpartisan organization FairVote, about 60% of the population eligible to vote do so when presidential candidates are on the ballot, and about 40% cast a ballot at midterms. Yet that’s when the composition of Congress is determined, and that can impact what the president can and cannot do, depending on partisan control.
Statewide and local races are on the ballot as well. From the offices of governor and lieutenant governor to seats in the General Assembly to state and local party committee assignments, all play an integral and important role in government.
Their decisions – big and small – can impact you and your quality of life.
Don’t think your vote counts?
A single vote in a razor-thin race could potentially change its outcome.
We owe a debt of gratitude to those who waged the suffrage struggle, paving the way for a more inclusive society. To vote is to honor their struggle and show appreciation for the hardships they endured to win voting rights.
Civic participation is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Don’t sit idly by on primary day – and then complain when the outcome doesn’t suit you.
Let your voice be heard.