By Cheryl Smith
PUBLISHER
I always vote and I always use my platforms to encourage others to do the same.
Usually I sing the same tune every year; sometimes two and three times as I encourage people to exercise this oh so important right, instead of seeing it as an exercise in futility.
And, yes, it does get to be somewhat cumbersome when you have to engage in the run-off and recall elections.
I can see how some people get confused and overwhelmed.
Already candidates are beginning their campaigns for the midterm elections and so I can see how it can be confusing for voters as they go to the polls for municipal elections.
As much as I try to be on top of the election cycles, I have been caught off guard at times because every time I turn around there’s another election.
So, as some have suggested, maybe we do need election reform.
Which brings me to my truth.
We must do a better job of speaking to the heart of the people.
We have a definite PR problem when you consider the number of eligible people in America who do not vote.
Many don’t know the who, what, where and why; so expecting that potential voters will know the when and the where is a problematic assumption.
We need the political parties to do a better job of educating voters even though some prefer lower turnouts and work to further disenfranchise a portion of the population.
There’s a lot of work to be done and it a non-stop assignment; no matter how tedious and overwhelming it may seem.
Voting is serious business and we need to get serious about our messaging so we can achieve a better outcome.
